Log Book

Republica was built in the Linz shipyard from Austria.

Anghel Saligny and Republica:

• 2 paddle boats with identical engines
• Alternative horizontal steamers with double effect
• Designed in Linz shipyard on October 30, 1883.

Anghel Saligny – passenger ship, named after the big engineer who brought his significant contribution to building the bridge over Danube River – Cernavoda - Fetesti. In 1987 Anghel Saligny was destroyed by a fire on board the ship.

Ioan Alexandru – former military in the Romanian Navy, expert in naval constructions and skilled in pressure boiler and steam engine overhaul says „ Anghel Saligny and Republica were identical. The difference between the two was that Anghel Saligny had saloons for passengers and the sheer of the main deck was straight line from the bow to the stern. The sheer of Republica is curved towards stern-bow and from the centre towards the railing. As it is a warship, the curved deck rejects missiles.”

Anghel Saligny – bought from the Austrian authorities – there are written proofs.

Republica – spoil of war – there are no documents to prove her age.

Named CSOBANC – Austrian name – the first name of the ship.

After1888 she runs across the Danube being equipped as frigate in the Austro-Hungarian navy.

Republica was built in the Linz shipyard from Austria – (being spoil of war in 1919 – there are no written documents stating the precise year of manufacture– 1883 or 1903).

In the first world war, she was taken to Braila with a group of Austro-Hungarian monitors. In 1916 she was the base ship and the headquarters for the Austro-Hungarian troops.

Taken over as spoil of war from Austro-Hungarian army.

After the first world war – Romanian Military Fleet – Danube fleet had 3 armored paddle ships:

• General Maican – used only for a few years.
• Commodore Demetriade – command ship.
• Captain Commodore Paun (Republica) – command ship.

After the treaty of June 4, 1920 in Trianon – was returned to Romania and operated as command ship within Danube Fleet.

Change of name – replacing Csobanc - Captain Commodore Paun.

References about the name Paun – Geo Bogza, member of the Romanian Academy writes in his journal that his last internship from 1925(student of the Navy school) in the IV-th year was carried out on board Paun - Republica nowadays.

September 5th, 1944 – the darkest day in the history of the Romanian navy.

Republica survived the second world war after having been directly involved in the Danube combats.

Republica was used as command ship in the campaign from 1941 and from 1944. Being transferred on Sulina and Sf Gheorghe branch, she was not exposed to the cruelty of the new ally. In the wee hours of September 5th,1944 between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. all warships from Constanta were taken by force and commanders and officers were taken with the guns pointed at them, at the river terminal.

After the end of the war, the entire war fleet and part of tugboats were seized by the Soviets. Republica shared the same destiny. She was taken in 1946 and was returned in 1951. In 1960 at the recommendation of the Soviet authorities all ships for attack, monitor, destroyers, and submarines were destroyed, scrapped. The Republica being equipped with 2 machine guns and 1 cannon evaded the Soviet plan.

She was named Republica – after having been returned to the Romanian Military Navy.

Commander Dumitru Cucu:

• 40 years in the navy;
• 6 years commander of Republica, command ship in the Danube Fleet;
• 13 years commander of the presidential ship Mihai Viteazul.

"I was standing out, due to my training and my devotion and I was named commander of the ship Republica where I remained until September 1962."

"...my real training as navy officer – namely in river shipping - was carried out during the period of my command of the Republica."

Running along the river, at night time, low visibility, without any radar or ultrasonic probes – the extremely difficult maintain of the ship on the navigable channel – any deviation might have lead to the ship’s stranding on shore.

Training at night – supervising sailors, probing the water when there were uncertainties about the position of the ship in the navigable channel – preparing and hardening the crew.

Future admiral Gh Sandu – at that time commander of the Danube Fleet – often steered Republica and was focused on the sea fare hardening, especially under extremely harsh conditions.

Used by the commander of the Danube Fleet from the Military Navy to guide and inspect the activity of training the crews on river boats.

Missions with

• The commander of the Military Navy - admiral Mihai;
• Commander of the Fleet – future admiral Gheorghe Sandu;
• Deputy Commander of the Fleet – rear-admiral Simion.

Republica – also used in some missions as passenger ship – provides comfort and security (military staff).
2 secret missions - Gh Gheorghiu Dej – the first political man of Romania at that time:

• Jail for political prisoners in Tataru;
• Giurgiu port, km 492 meeting with Iosip Broz Tito – leader of Yugoslavia – secret meeting on board the ship;

Other important missions:

• Giurgiu port – minister of Armed Forces – general Emil Bondaras and the commander of the Warsaw Treaty, marshal of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics Koniev – under way on Danube.
• Corabia port – Minister of Romanian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense from Bulgaria - ports– Turnu Magurele, Giurgiu, Russe.

In the 60s – general secretary of the Romanian Labor Party Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej inspected several times the Danube Fleet on board Republica.

From 1991 – they decided to rename ships according to their initial denomination, or with traditional names used by the Military Navy. By mistake or out of an inexplicable reason, Republica received the name Captain Lieutenant Commodore Vasile Paun – lower rank.

Vasile Paun – there are no officers in the Romanian Military Navy by this name either in the first or in the second world war. The name - Constantin Paun – Romanian hero from the first world war – was ranked captain commodore.

Paun – command ship for the international maneuvers on the Danube, transporting NATO observers and journalists.

Until this year the Republica was command ship of the Romanian Military Navy.

Took over by Tulcea Local Council from the Military Navy – the purpose was the conversion of the ship into a museum also performing amusement cruises for tourists on the Danube.

In April 2003 mayor Constantin Mocanu names Gheorghe Avadanei commander of the ship Republica - one of the few experts in steam engines– his immediate action was to take the ship from Braila and to subject it to a vast process of technical rehabilitation.

In April 2003 commander Gh Avadanei takes the ship from Braila to Tulcea with a military tugboat.
Where there were once 2 machine guns, now it remained only the bases.

Up on deck, the 37 m cannon was on its pedestal fixed with 2 screws.

On the way, near the city of Galati they stopped and a crane took away the „the last tongue of fire” from Republica.

Arrived in Tulcea, she was lifted by means of a synchrolift in the basin of the shipyard and then taken for verification and repair „of the bottom”.

Renamed „Republica” – ceremony at which mayor Constantin Mocanu and other officials of the shipyard attended – bottle of champaign smashed against the stern of the ship.

August 9th 2003 – voyage on Danube on the occasion of the river celebration– „Danube – Europe’s river”
Tulcea – twinned with Ulm town– Germany – had many guests from this town and from other towns which are located on the Danube river banks.

Mission – Republica – host for mayor Constantin Mocanu and guests of the event– voyage on the Danube.

Commander Gh Avadanei recounts:

"The crew was made up of 4 specialists who had worked on Republica since the time she was in the Military Army.
On Chilia branch, the ship was supposed to make a turn but she moved very slowly despite the indicator showing „full strength ahead”.

Problem – 1 boiler remained without any water– the fire was extinguished and due to the 4 kg of pressure the machine was hardly moving. We waited until the pressure dropped to 3 kg so that we might insert water with the ejector. Supply pumps did not work. We managed to decrease pressure to 3kg, refill with water and start off the fire.
Onboard nobody realized that was anything wrong. Meanwhile, the pressure decreased and the machine worked at standard revolutions per minute.

Afterwards, when turning to Tulcea branch the helm drive got blocked. The maximum supply of the boiler led to the steam penetrating the helm drive. In the end the steer man succeeded to moor on Tulcea shore. Passengers disembarked perfectly safe.

August 15th 2003 – Navy’s day – The Republica was part of the fleet at the parade.

Captain Gh Avadanei – put on an interesting exhibition in the ceremonies hall of the ship – former soldier quarters. The exhibition comprises portraits of some personalities from the Romanian Navy and paintings of ships on special occasions.

Administrator and captain Gheorghe Avadanei Republica recounts her story in the Book of Honor.

Declared object of national cultural heritage, TREASURE category.