The Austrian Federal Railways (then abbreviated to BBÖ ) opened a ten-year new construction phase of modern and large motor ships on Lake Constance with Austria, which was commissioned in 1928 . They also put the final point with the 1937 planned and in the shipyard Korneuburg commissioned Austria , the Latin name for Austria . The large motor ship with a maritime look (length: 59.85 meters, width: 11.2 meters, approval for 1,200 people) replaced the steamship Dornbirn and set new standards on Lake Constance. Austria was annexed to the German Reich in 1938 during pre-assembly . The Deutsche Reichsbahn took over the BBÖ fleet as a special fund and thus also the new building, which was continued unchanged. In January 1939 the keel was laid in the dry dock of Bregenz and on August 15th it was launched . On September 24th, a few days after the start of the war, the building was completed, approved and christened Ostmark , the Nazi designation for Austrian territory. Due to the shortage of fuel, the gleaming white ship only made two journeys and was then on the chain in the ports of Lindau and Bregenz, finally camouflaged. In order to prevent the NS order to sink the ships in Lindau and Bregenz, a courageous board of directors of the Reichsbahn, in cooperation with Swiss authorities and crew members, planned and organized a night and fog action from April 25th to 26th, 1945 . Together with three other motor ships, the Ostmark was towed by three steamers to Romanshorn and three other Swiss ports, interned there and handed over to the French occupation forces undamaged in May before it was able to return to its home port of Bregenz on July 29. In the winter of 1945/46 the camouflage color was removed during repair work and the original name Austria was applied in the spring of 1946 . On May 19, she was able to start her first journey under this name. However, it took until 1949 until the fuel shortage was fixed and it could be used in regular traffic (now under ÖBB aegis) - ten years after completion.
History since 1949
Austria was able to enjoy its well- deserved fame without competition, especially in the 1950s and 60s: as the fastest passenger ship in all races for the Blue Ribbon of Lake Constance , as the most popular ship of the White Fleet with the public and as a busy and reliable scheduled and special ship on long journeys Routes, e.g. B. Bregenz - Mainau island with around 45 kilometers of direct distance or 60 kilometers of course route. The ship was regularly serviced, overhauled, subtly redesigned and modernized, so that until today, at the age of 75, it has retained its unmistakable appearance as the flagship of the Austrian Lake Constance fleet. Since 1999 (decommissioning of the Allgäu ) the Austria has been the largest ship on Lake Constance in terms of the number of passengers allowed.
technology
The ship, built according to the regulations of Germanischer Lloyd for class A / 4 I “Bodensee”, stands out due to its powerful engine. As early as 1939 it was equipped with two Sulzer six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines of type 6 DDA 29, which were charged by a Büchi blower. This achieved an output of 1,270 hp. When the engine was re-engineered in 1991 with two Sulzer 6 S 20 diesel engines, the output was increased to 1,492 hp. The maximum speed increased from 30 to 32 km / h, a peak value for an inland water passenger ship with a displacement of 458 t. This speed seems incomprehensible at a course speed of only 22 km / h, but is traditional for Austrian ships and is justified by the long stretches in the middle of the lake and the potential to make up for delays. Right from the start, it was driven by two Voith-Schneider propellers, currently with five blades. The Austria is equipped with radar and GPS .
Michael Berg: Motor shipping on Lake Constance under the Deutsche Reichsbahn and in the post-war period. Planning, construction and use of the White Fleet 1920 to 1952. Verlag regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 2011, ISBN 978-3-89735-614-6 , pp. 110–115 and 217–233.
Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The history of the railroad on Lake Constance. GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-86245-714-4 , pp. 76–91 and 261f.
Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer, Karl F. Fritz: The history of the great Lake Constance ships. Bodensee Magazin-Spezial 2nd edition, Konstanz 2000, ISBN 3-935169-00-0 , pp. 49–58.
Arnulf Dieth: Red White Red on Lake Constance. Austrian shipping through the ages. Hecht Verlag, Hard (A) 1995, ISBN 3-85298-013-5 .
Klaus von Rudloff u. a .: Shipping on Lake Constance. Volume 3: The beginning of motor shipping. Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen (CH) 1987, ISBN 3-85649-072-8 , pp. 55f. and Figs. 272-294.
↑ During this phase, the Deutsche Reichsbahn built three medium-sized ( winter ships) and five large motor ships with Voith-Schneider propulsion: Allgäu , Baden , Germany , Karlsruhe and Swabia .
↑ At that time, the standard was a maximum of 800 hp for comparable Reichsbahn ships.
↑ For comparison: the service speed of Lake Constance catamarans , which has been limited since 2013, is only slightly higher at 35 km / h.
