MESzHART Hungaro-Soviet Shipping Co., 1946-1955

On Soviet pressure the Hungaro-Soviet Shipping Company MESZHART was formed in the spring of 1946 and besides river navigation Danube-sea shipping was given to it as its task. DTRT was existing without ships. Of the ships left home the TISZA was completed first and was transferred into the new company. The Soviets did not see it neccessary to put anything from the stolen material into the company. The KOLOZSVÁR as URAL, the KOMÁROM as DESNA and SZOLNOK (refloated and towed back from Austria) as MANICH became Sovtorgflot property as war prize. And this was only the beginning! As soon as building the hull commenced in 1943 to replace the UNGVÁR was finished it was taken away named SIMEIZ. Steel plates left at the Ganz yard and intended for DTRT ships were used to build the KOREIZ, DON, KALMIUS, MASSANDRA, LIVADIA in the framework of war indemnity. The fate of those remained trapped on board of DTRT ships in Austria were not promising either. By the end of 1946 many sailors left their ships, even though DTRT did everything to bring its ships back home. Homecoming was postponed time after time. Crews were involved in maintaining their ships, the BUDAPEST's engines were even replaced in Deggendorf. Continously diminishing crews were to be filled up with seamen sent from home but there were always more that left than those came then it was given up. Lakos the new and Roediger the old directors negotiated until the Americans gave in at last and the ships could return home in 1947. After short repairs they were lined up along the TISZA in the MESZHART fleet. Only the KASSA went through an overhaul and was renamed to DEBRECEN because of the repeated territorial change after the war (KASSA is now in Slovakia). Nothing changed seemingly, the ships sailed as normal between Budapest and the Levante. They conquerred back their old markets along their usual lines. Reputation of Hungarian merchant marine was the warranty and our sailors coped with this new situation, too. Only something was brewing in the deep! Best captains were forced ashore doing office works, at worst cases they were locked in labor camps. The quick officer courses were filled up with men attended only six grade elementary school. The output of MESZHART's four ships reached its maximum in the crazy workrace of that era and it could not be increased without jeopardizing ships and men even though demands grew steadily. These small ships carried everything from oillamps to the Heluan bridge elements which could be loaded into them. Leadership of the company turned to the government for loans in vain, it was still not possible to buy new ships. Capacity of Hungary's shipyards was entirely bound to construct ships in indemnity. Between 1947-55 there were 65 sea-going ships built to the USSR. In spite of this the Soviet co-owner did not apported a single vessel in the company.



József Horváth: What happens to you Hungarian se navigation? Aqua Magazin, vol. 23., 2001.