The team was founded in 1948 and until the summer of 2010 it was known as FC Dunărea Giurgiu. Then it was renamed Astra II after it was bought by Ioan Niculae, owner of Liga I squad FC Astra Giurgiu.[1][2] In the summer of 2012 the club was dissolved after its owner decided to cut back on expenses. Then the club was refounded in the summer of 2013 as CSM Dunărea Giurgiu.[3]
History
Founded in 1948, with players from Dragaje and Acvila, two small clubs from Giurgiu, Dunărea played for several years in the districts and regional championships.[4]
In the 1960–61 season, led by Lucian Mititelu, Dunărea won the Bucharest Regional Championship and qualified for promotion play-offs in the second division, but lost the promotion finishing in the 3rd place behind CFR Arad and Carpați Sinaia, in a series in who also played Flacăra Roșie București, Muscelul IMS Câmpulung and Dinamo Craiova.[5] Also, Dunărea reached the first round proper of the Romanian Cup, but lost in front of Progresul București 0–4. The squad of Dunărea during the championship and the play-offs matches was composed of: Cristache Manole, Vasile Gheorghiu, Sandu Drăgănescu, Nicolae Nemțescu, Pepi Iorgulescu, Alexandru Ghiță, Alexandru Pană, Alexandru Albu, Alexandru Iorgulescu, Ion IIiuță, Stan Ștefan (Fane Brînză), Nicu Marinel, Puiu Rotărescu, Constantin Năsturescu, Dumitru Nania, Vasile Ene, Negrilă și Gheorghe Grozea.[4]
In the summer of 1963, the club merged with the newly promoted in Divizia C Victoria Giurgiu and played in the South Series of the third tier, occupied the 2nd place in the 1963–64 season and 3rd in the 1964–65 season.[6]
The two clubs separated in 1965 and the shipyard team was renamed as Dunărea continuing to play in the third division, finishing 5th (1965–66) and 4th (1966–67) in the following two seasons.[6]
After five consecutive seasons in the third tier, Dunărea managed to promoted for the first time in Divizia B at the end of the 1967–68 season winning the South Series after a strong battle with Progresul Brăila. Led by Gheorghe „Gogu" Gîrlea almost the whole season and at the end by Nicolae Nemțescu the squad of Dunărea was composed of: Gică Penescu, Ion Piticu, Ghibănescu, Iacob, Petrișor Lungu, Gore Cristache, Alexandru Ghiță, Sandu Cojocaru, State, Dumitru Ion, Liviu Borțea, Grădinaru, Dumitru Nania, Vasile Mustață, Trăistaru, Anghel, Tudor Constantin, Ilie Emil, Crăciun Clepcea, Constantin Sandu, Budurincă, Marin Stelian, Mănăilă, Pavel Nicolae and Țigănilă.[7]
In the second division, Dunărea successively occupied the following positions in the Series I ranks table: 12th (1968–69), 13th (1969–70), 6th (1970–71), 11th (1971–72), 12th (1972–73), relegating at the end of 1973–74 season after finished 16th in Series II.
