site.btaMay 28, 1966: Replica of Historic Steamer Radetzky Is Launched

On May 28, 1966, a replica of the Austro-Hungarian steamer Radetzky was launched in Ruse (on the Danube) as a tie-in with the 90th anniversary of the heroic death of Bulgarian revolutionary poet Hristo Botev (1848-1876).

The original passenger steamship was built in Budapest in 1851 and was named after Austrian Field Marshal Josef Radetzky. The vessel was scrapped in 1924.

The replica was constructed at the Ruse Shipyard in 1964-1966 on funds raised by 1,200,000 Bulgarian children. The reconstruction used the hull of the steam-powered tugboat Plovdiv (built in 1951 at the same shipyard as the original Radetzky) and pieces of the original vessel salvaged in 1918 and blueprints, photographs and reminiscences provided by the original steamer's painter Jozsef Kiraly.

On May 16 (New Style May 27) and 17 (New Style 28), during a voyage on the Danube between Orsova and Galati, the Radetzky was boarded at various ports by members of a detachment led by Botev and organized for joining the April 1876 Uprising against Ottoman rule in Bulgaria. On May 18 (New Style 29), Botev and his associates commandeered the ship and forced its master, Dagobert Englaender, to land them on the Bulgarian bank of the river near the village of Kozloduy. From there, the detachment headed for the Balkan Range. Contrary to expectations, very few Bulgarians joined the insurgents. The detachment fought several battles with Ottoman troops. The uprising in the Vratsa region never broke out, and on May 20 (New Style June 2), Botev was killed in circumstances that have never been cleared up. 

Following is an excerpt of BTA's Home News Bulletin covering the launch of the historic vessel:

"Ruse, May 28 (BTA correspondent Radoslav Atanasov). Bulgarian Pioneri and Chavdarcheta [members of state-sponsored organizations for communist indoctrination of children aged 7-9 and 9-14, respectively] will keep unforgettable memories of this day. The reconstructed ship Radetzky was launched. On this occasion, a large rally was held at the Ivan Dimitrov Shipbuilding and Ship-Repair Plant. Over 10,000 Pioneri from the city and the rest of the country came here, guided by their pure affection and filial love for the national heroes. They were joined by delegations from the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania and the GDR, and by guests from Budapest, Vienna and other [cities abroad].
 
After a fanfare flourish, the Commander of the [Vratsa] District Pioner Staff Georgi Borilov reported the labour and patriotic deeds by which the Pioneri of the district shared in the competition for building the Radetzky. The Director of the Shipbuilding Plan, Engr. Docho Dochev, told about the painstaking effort of the Ruse shipbuilders in constructing the historic ship, which was carried out under the guidance of the plant's Chief Designer, Engr. Todor Todorov. 

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Dimitrov Young Communist League, Georgi Atanasov, delivered a congratulations address to the Pioneri. He stressed that Bulgarian Pioneri take credit for the highly patriotic initiative to build the historic ship. The Pioneri of Vratsa District excelled in the competition, raising 36,000 leva for the construction of the ship, followed by the Pioneri of Ruse with 29,000 leva, etc. Over 522,000 leva have been credited to the savings account of the National Staff for Building the Radetzky, instead of the 450,000 leva target. While the ship was being built, Pioneri countrywide discovered a number of unknown documents, photographs and personal effects and tracked down 27 sons and daughters of members of Botev's detachment."