Steam boat trip on Lake Constance

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During the almost 150-year period of steam navigation on Lake Constance , the appearance of the steamers changed several times due to changed conditions and tasks - form follows function : from cargo ship smooth-decker to combined cargo and passenger steamers to two-deck saloon steamers. Technical progress also led to structural changes to the steam engine , the paddle wheel and the hull of the ships. The defining feature of 70 of a total of 75 steamships was the side-wheel drive.

history

The first attempt failed

On April 29, 1818, the first steamship on Lake Constance, the Stephanie , made a maiden voyage from Konstanz to Meersburg. She couldn't make the return trip because of the weak engine and had to be rowed back to Konstanz by the passengers. The builder Johann Caspar Bodmer escaped his creditors by fleeing to the Kingdom of Württemberg.

First era from 1824: the steam boats of the private companies

Steam shipping on Lake Constance began with the Wilhelm .

Lake Constance steam shipping began with Wilhelm from Württemberg , which competed in 1824 with the numerous cargo sailing ships ( Lädinen and Segnern). They and other steamboats initially took on their tasks and transported goods packed in sacks, barrels and boxes, wood and sandstones, small and large cattle and people, mostly traders. The transportation of sea ​​mail became more and more important .

The bulbous, about 30 m long, smooth-deck hull of the new type of ship was initially made of oak, the shape was based on ocean sailing ships. The steam engine had a tall chimney with multiple stacks . Two wheel arches covered the paddle wheels and doubled the width of the ship. There were no larger superstructures, instead a fabric cover over the aft deck . Some steam boats still had two masts with a jib and gaff sails . The captain was on maneuvers on one of the wheel arches and called the engineers below decks and the sailors of the commands responsible for the nautical sector helmsman at the stern to. In the course of the first epoch, the two wheel arches were initially connected by a narrow bridge . A longer hull, made of iron from 1838, made the boats look narrower. The length (up to 55 m) was limited by the narrow harbors and the draft by the low water level in winter . In order to be able to transport larger quantities, up to eight barges were towed. The bowsprit was often powerful and richly decorated. In addition to the anchor winch and ship's bell, there was also a signal cannon at the bow . The tiller on the stern was soon replaced by a steering wheel on the quarterdeck. The steamboats were owned by three private companies with their home ports of Constance , Friedrichshafen and Lindau . One of the last ships of this era, the city ​​of Constanz , had the longest service life of a Lake Constance ship after two modifications: 145 years, from 1840 to 1985.

Second epoch from 1863: The steamships of the regional railways

The Kaiser Wilhelm in the foreground was the first deck saloon steamship on Lake Constance, the departing Greif was the first half saloon steamship .

In the course of the first epoch, the three German southerners built new railway lines on Lake Constance, which ended in the port areas of Friedrichshafen, Lindau and Konstanz. The Switzerland joined the ports of Romanshorn , Rorschach and Schaffhausen with the main network. Most recently, Austria connected the new Bregenz port. Until the last gap was closed in 1901 with the Überlingen – Friedrichshafen section of the Stahringen – Friedrichshafen railway line , it was the ships' new task to provide connections for train passengers and goods. That is why the state railway companies of the three German states took over the private companies with their ships between 1847 and 1863 and expanded them.

For the appearance, this meant that the smooth-deck steamers gradually disappeared as almost pure cargo ships and were replaced from 1877 by combined cargo and passenger steamships in the semi-saloon steamship typical of Lake Constance. In contrast to the deck saloon ships common on the Middle Rhine , Danube and the Swiss lakes with the passenger areas on the main deck level, the stern saloon on this type of ship was lowered into the hull up to the lower edge of the windows. This reduced the area exposed to wind during storms and increased safety. The structure was limited to the stern saloon, on which there was an open promenade deck. Amidships was a raised helm on a bridge over the entrance to the ship. The crankshaft of the steam engine was visible through an opening in the main deck between the wheel arches. The foredeck was reserved for cargo, the gloomy bow space for common passengers. In contrast to their predecessors, the ships now all had a foremast with a yard for signaling and lighting, and some with the rigging for a gaff sail. At the stern and / or on the wheel arches there were one or two lifeboats on davits and lifebuoys on the railing . The smooth deckers on the Obersee were soon either decommissioned or fitted with superstructures. Because of the bridge passages, the flat ships with half-sunk wheel arches, folding chimneys and shallow drafts lasted the longest on the Untersee and Rhine.

The steam trajectories, here the "coal eater", also carried passenger trains.

Even the first ship of the new generation, the deck saloon steamer Kaiser Wilhelm , attracted state guests and more and more tourists with its representative comfort in historicist style . The colors of the ships were not uniform and changed frequently. The color of the chimney and emblems were just as typical of the country as the clipper bow and the stern bulwark of Swiss ships. Another trend in this phase were maritime adaptations, such as the negative stem , windscreens and the second mast with a gaff for the national flag.

The three “Imperial Ships” of the Austrian State Railways built between 1885 and 1892 played a special role in this epoch . These comfortable ships with electric lighting and a sophisticated galley closed the gap in the European rail network Paris / Strasbourg - Innsbruck / Vienna between Constance and Bregenz with a crash course of just two hours.

The transport of goods across Lake Constance developed quite differently, with a focus on between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn. Instead of reloading the freight twice, from 1869 up to eight freight wagons were completely transported on open, double-track barges that were pulled by scheduled ships or tugs. The two steam trajectories with two chimneys represented an increase. With a length of 70 m and a width of 18 m, they were the largest ships that ever sailed on Lake Constance and that could transport a whole freight train with two barges. The scheduled ships were increasingly used for the transport of sea mail, after 1882 they also carried ship mail as mail ships.

The steam yacht emerged as a further type of ship in this era . The owner of the first private “pleasure liner” on Lake Constance was Eugen Zardetti from Bregenz. Compared to the paddle steamers of that time, his steam yacht Passe Temps was more elegant and agile.

Third epoch from 1901: competition from the railroad

The Lindau was a Bavarian half saloon steamship. The lowered stern saloon can be clearly seen.

The Stahringen – Friedrichshafen railway, completed in 1901, made it possible to reach almost all places on the lake directly by train. On the one hand, this reduced the number of freight and passengers on the ships, later increased by road traffic, and on the other hand, more and more tourists from metropolitan areas came to Lake Constance by train. This caused a further change in function towards excursion boats, which in turn changed the appearance. From 1890 to 1913 ten older ships were replaced by 21 modern new builds. The capacity and maximum speed of all have been increased. The two-deck double saloon steamship Stadt Bregenz was initially an exception with a size for 1000 passengers. The state railways outbid each other in terms of the design of the ships and their interiors, some of which were so luxuriously designed by leading Art Nouveau architects that some were used on official state visits. The large bronze coats of arms that adorned the wheel arches were striking. Even the arrangement and shape of the salon windows were often country-specific. The stem was straight and unadorned. The ground sea steamships gradually became the “ White Fleet ” in color . The First World War put an end to this development with a rapid decline in passenger numbers. After that, the heyday of sea steamships was over.

Fourth era from 1918: The steamships of the Deutsche Reichsbahn

The city ​​of Überlingen was the largest, fastest and most recently built steamship on Lake Constance

After the end of the monarchy in 1919, except in Württemberg, the monarchist names were mostly exchanged for city names. On April 1, 1920, the 18 ships of the state railways became the property of the Deutsche Reichsbahn , state flags and chimney markings were replaced by national ones. Even after the takeover, the management of Lake Constance shipping remained with the directorates in Karlsruhe , Stuttgart and Augsburg .

The sudden increase in tourism soon made it necessary to expand the fleet, but in addition to numerous motor ships, only one steamship was built in 1929. Almost all of the others were rebuilt uniformly. In order to increase the capacity, a new, spacious saloon structure was built on the now freight-free foredeck, and above it a smaller saloon with an extended promenade deck. The wheelhouse was raised accordingly. This changed the appearance considerably: graceful steam boats became stately two-deck steamers. Inside, the Art Nouveau decorations were removed as "old-fashioned". All ships were white, only the color of the funnel initially varied.

In 1933 the ports of Lindau, Friedrichshafen, Konstanz and Radolfzell were home to a total of 31 ships. With the connection of Austria in 1938, the ships of the neighboring country were also subordinated to the Reichsbahn and provided with black-white-red chimney rings.

During the Second World War , the decorative bronze coats of arms were removed from the wheel arches and melted down. From 1943, a gray-blue camouflage was to protect the steamships of the Reichsbahn from air raids. After the end of the war, the ships carried a registration number of the French occupying power above the anchor hull on the bow and first carried the French "Tricolore", from 1949 the "Caesar" flag. It corresponds to the "Charlie" flag in the current flag alphabet . The camouflage was removed again by the end of the 1940s.

Fifth epoch from 1952: The end of bottom sea steam shipping

The Hohentwiel

In 1952 the Deutsche Bundesbahn took over the legal successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and thus also the German ground sea steamships, now again without a registration number but from 1957 additionally with the DB shipping company logo in black, red and gold. In 1962, the Deutsche Bundesbahn centralized the administration of Lake Constance shipping in Karlsruhe.

In the last epoch of the ground sea steamships, their appearance hardly changed. The paddle steamers made spectacular appearances at the Blue Ribbon race of Lake Constance and as spectator ships illuminated over the top at the sea fireworks. In the years from 1958 to 1967 all ground sea steamships - seven German, three Swiss and one Austrian - were decommissioned. Only the lavishly restored Hohentwiel with the new home port of Hard , as a floating museum, allows you to get a real picture of the appearance of the bottom sea steamships a hundred years ago, as the modifications made in the 1930s were removed.

Technical development of steam ships

Since the development on Lake Constance was strongly influenced by the then global technical progress, the following overview only shows the typical data of the side paddle steamer for Lake Constance .

Romanshorn shipyard with steam trajectory II

Shipyards

Five steamships of the first epoch were obtained from English shipyards. After that, Escher, Wyss & Cie. in Zurich most of the ships for all ship operations. It was not until the end of the 19th century that some regional railroad manufacturers preferred their region: Württemberg machine works Esslingen and G. Kuhn in Stuttgart, Bavaria machine works JA Maffei in Munich, Switzerland machine works Sulzer brothers in Winterthur and Austria Österreichische Schiffswerften AG in Linz. The ships were prefabricated by them, dismantled again and transported to the home port shipyard by horse-drawn carts or the train. The final assembly took place there.

Hull

Only the first four ships had “shells” made of (oak) wood, which became unusable after a few years due to the strong vibrations from the steam engine. That is why all the following ships had an iron bowl. At the beginning of the 1930s, most of the steamships of that time received lateral stability beads to improve buoyancy. The overall length increased from 30.20 m for the first ship to 60.60 m for the last .

Open crankshaft of the two-cylinder superheated steam compound machine from Hohentwiel

Steam engine and steam boiler

Steam engines in the chronological order of their use from 1824:

  • Single-cylinder, low-pressure balancing machine, suitcase boiler with wood combustion.
  • Two-cylinder, low-pressure balancing machine, one or two suitcase boilers with wood burning.
  • Low pressure machine with oscillating cylinders , suitcase boiler with wood burning.
  • Low pressure machine with oscillating cylinders, one or two tubular boilers with wood burning.
  • Low pressure machine with oscillating cylinders, suitcase boiler with coal firing.
  • Woolf's twin machine with two inclined cylinders, two flame tube boilers with reversing chambers.
  • Compound steam engine with two inclined cylinders.
  • Inclined two-cylinder wet steam composite machine.
  • Inclined two-cylinder expansion machine , flame tube boiler with reversing chamber.
  • Vertical two-cylinder wet steam composite machine, flame tube boiler with reversing chamber.
  • Inclined three cylinder wet steam expansion machine.
  • Inclined three-cylinder superheated steam expansion machine.
  • Two-cylinder superheated steam composite system with valve control.

In 1952 three ships were converted from coal to heavy oil firing. Today the Hohentwiel is fired with low-sulfur, extra-light heating oil.

With this paddle wheel, the eight blades with different angles of inclination and the linkage of the eccentric are clearly visible. Location: Seemuseum Kreuzlingen

Paddle wheel of steam ships with side wheel drive

The Wilhelm still had two paddle wheels with twelve flat wooden paddles without an eccentric . The later ships also had wooden blades of different numbers, but with an eccentric for optimal adjustment of the angle of inclination of the blades when immersed in the water. Iron shovels were used late.

Power and speed

The power of the steam engine increased from 20 PSn of Wilhelm to 960 PSi of the city ​​of Überlingen . The maximum speed increased accordingly from 5.7 knots (10.5 km / h) to 16.4 knots (30.3 km / h).

Screw steamer

With the drive through a propeller the approved as a passenger ship for 14 people traveling steamboat Felicitas from the home port Wasserburg excursion traffic mainly in the northeastern Seeanteil (Bj. 1991).

See also

Web links

Commons : Paddle steamers of Lake Constance  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Michael Berg: Motor shipping on Lake Constance under the Deutsche Reichsbahn and in the post-war period , regional culture publisher, Ubstadt-Weiher 2011, ISBN 978-3-89735-614-6 .
  • Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railway on Lake Constance . GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-86245-714-4 , pages 19-91, 132, 137, 157, 173f.
  • Werner Deppert: With a steam engine and a paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Verlag Friedr. Stadler, Konstanz 1975, ISBN 3-7977-0015-6 .
  • Karl F. Fritz, Werner Häusler, Monika Sonntag: Experience shipping on Lake Constance / Rhine and Swiss lakes . Published by Werner Häusler Press Office, Konstanz 1995.
  • Emil Krumholz: The history of the steamship operation on Lake Constance. In the commission publishing house of the Wagner University bookstore, Innsbruck, 1906.
  • Klaus von Rudloff and Claude Jeanmaire: Schiffahrt auf dem Bodensee , Volume 2: The heyday of steam shipping, contribution to the history of Lake Constance, history of the individual ships and registers, Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen (CH) 1981, ISBN 3-85649-071-X .

References and comments

  1. ↑ The division of this period into five epochs results from significant (traffic) political events that led to changed conditions and thus new tasks for the steamboats on Lake Constance and thus also to a changed appearance. The railway played a major role in the first three epochs. This subdivision can be found in every treatise on the topic (see literature).
  2. ↑ The exceptions were five small screw steamers on Lake Constance .
  3. ^ Eva-Maria Bast: November 29, 1824. Large station at the harbor. In: Eva-Maria Bast, Annina Baur, Julia Riess: Konstanzer Kalenderblätter, Bast Medien, Überlingen 2016, ISBN 978-3-946581-04-8 , pp. 164–167.
  4. ↑ The term “steam boat” was common at that time. "Steamship" and "paddle steamer" did not replace it until 1871, when the saloon steamers replaced the smooth-deck steamers.
  5. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 14
  6. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 173
  7. ↑ See the photograph of Mainau (I) (Heimathafen: Konstanz) in front of the port entrance of Konstanz on Historical pictures of Lake Constance steamships on bodenseeschifffahrt.de
  8. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 25
  9. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 120
  10. ↑ All details can be seen on Historical pictures of Bodenseeschifffahrt.de , built in 1824–1862.
  11. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 28
  12. ^ Kingdom of Württemberg, Kingdom of Bavaria and Grand Duchy of Baden
  13. ↑ On the development of the railway system on Lake Constance and its influence on shipping in the first and second periods: Dietmar Bönke: Schaufelrad und Flügelrad. The Schiffahrt der Eisenbahn auf dem Bodensee , Munich 2013, pp. 20–27 and pp. 27–47. Bönke takes 1847 as the turning point (the railway reaches Lake Constance for the first time), while 1863 was chosen here (with Konstanz / Baden all residents now have branch lines to their ports. Bregenz / Austria is served via Lindau and Rorschach).
  14. ↑ See the illustrations in Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, pp. 37-49 and 104-139; Klaus von Rudloff and Claude Jeanmaire: Schiffahrt auf dem Bodensee , Volume 2: The heyday of steam shipping, Villigen (CH) 1981, pp. 14–38 and Fig. 1–159 as well as historical pictures of Bodenseedampfschiffs built in 1863–1900 on bodenseeschifffahrt.de and Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 173
  15. ↑ A total of 24 semi-saloon steamships and only four deck saloon steamships were put into service.
  16. ^ Klaus von Rudloff and Claude Jeanmaire: Schiffahrt auf dem Bodensee , Volume 2: The heyday of steam shipping, Villigen (CH) 1981, p. 8
  17. ↑ Even the comfortable Kaiser Wilhelm only got a closed wheelhouse after 16 years of service. Klaus von Rudloff and Claude Jeanmaire: Shipping on Lake Constance , Volume 2: The heyday of steam shipping, Villigen (CH) 1981, p. 15
  18. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, pp. 29 and 37
  19. ↑ Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, p. 42f
  20. ↑ cf. on this the Bavarian lion on the Wittelsbach (ship, 1879)
  21. ↑ For all details: Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railroad on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 173 and Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, pp. 104-136
  22. ↑ Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, p. 48f
  23. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, p. 47
  24. ↑ Klaus von Rudloff and Claude Jeanmaire: Schiffahrt auf dem Bodensee , Volume 2: The heyday of steam shipping, Villigen (CH) 1981, pp. 29–54, images 90–304
  25. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, pp. 47–53
  26. ↑ Dietmar Bönke: paddle wheel and impeller. The shipping of the railways on Lake Constance , Munich 2013, pp. 55–57
  27. ↑ a b c Markus Hehl: The steam locomotive era in Swabia. Klartext Verlag, Essen, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8375-0613-6 , page 87.
  28. ↑ The two-deck saloon steamship Stadt Überlingen was the last, largest and fastest ground sea steamship . Built on the Rhine, it looked like a Rhine steamer.
  29. ↑ Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, pp. 62–65 and 143–150 (pictures)
  30. ↑ Werner Deppert: With steam engine and paddle wheel. Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967 . Konstanz 1975, p. 151f
  31. ↑ Michael Berg: Motor shipping on Lake Constance under the Deutsche Reichsbahn and in the post-war period , Ubstadt-Weiher 2011, p. 28f and Bönke p. 79f.
  32. ↑ The data are taken from the ship descriptions from the literature sources Dietmar Böhnke and Rudloff / Jeanmaire.
  33. ↑ The historical paddle steamer is equipped according to the state of the art , u. a. with radar , echo sounder , two diesel generators , electro-hydraulic steering gear and bow thruster .
  34. ^ Paddle wheel of the paddle steamer Major Davel (i. D. 1889, a. D. 1968, demolished 1990) from Lake Geneva . bateaux de la CGN