Italia (ship, 1872)
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The paddle steamer Italia sailed from 1872 to 1963 on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland . It was procured by the Salondampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersee , which merged into the United Steamship Company on Lake Lucerne , a predecessor of today's Lake Lucerne Shipping Company .
history
In 1871, Kasimir Friedrich Knörr founded the Salondampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersee as a competitor to the United Steamship Company on Lake Lucerne (VDGV), which had only recently merged from other companies in which Knörr was also involved . For this company he ordered the saloon steamships Germania and Italia from Escher Wyss in Zurich on September 23, 1871 at a price of 315,000 Swiss francs each . They were assembled in Vitznau . Even before the completion of the two ships, the VDGV managed to acquire them from the Salondampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft, which was then dissolved. The Germania and Italia passed into the possession of the VDGV on May 2 1,872th
Knörr's declared intention when placing the order was to receive ships that would exceed all other ships in Switzerland in terms of size and equipment. They should be as close as possible to the Rhine steamers König and Kaiser in terms of “elegance and comfort”. In fact, Germania and Italia offered a new level of comfort compared to the smooth deck steamers used up to now . The saloon superstructures offered protection in bad weather. As a result, several smooth-deckers on Lake Lucerne were converted into saloon or half saloon steamers.
After successful test drives on July 22, 1872, the Italia was put into service at the end of July. It initially had a capacity of 750 passengers. It has had electric lighting since 1887. In 1890 the damaged steam boiler had to be replaced; The Italia received two new boilers from Sulzer . Due to the greater capacity of these boilers, the previous double expansion machine could be converted into a real composite steam engine in 1891 . In 1892 the wooden paddle wheels were replaced by iron ones.
During a major overhaul and major renovation in 1913/14, the wheel arches were rebuilt from iron, the stairs to the upper deck were moved inside the ship and a fourth bulkhead was installed in accordance with the new regulations . When it was restarted in 1914, the capacity could be increased to 800 passengers.
In 1924, the operating license for the Italia expired . Extensive repairs had to be carried out so that it could be renewed. The ship received new paddle wheels from Escher Wyss, through which a slightly higher speed could be achieved. In 1929 it was planned to equip the Italia , whose steering position was still unprotected, with a closed wheelhouse , as had already happened with other steamers. For reasons of stability, however, it turned out to be impossible to put on the almost completed wheelhouse made of aluminum. After the steamer Victoria suffered severe fire damage in May 1942, its boilers and wheels were used for the Italia . The Italia carried out its last course trip on September 22, 1963. In July 1967 it was canceled in Lucerne.
commitment
The Italia was only ever used in summer. Since she never had a closed wheelhouse, she was a decidedly fair-weather ship and was only used relatively little for her long service life, since 1945 mainly for special trips and additional services. This resulted in the relatively low mileage of a total of 879,320 kilometers. During the two world wars, the ship was decommissioned for a total of eight years.
When the German Emperor Wilhelm II visited in 1893, the Italia served as an escort ship for the city of Lucerne .
literature
- Robert Knöpfel: DS Italia . In: Dampferzeitung . No. 1 , 2011 ("Treasure trove" section).
- Erich Liechti et al .: Shipping on Lake Lucerne . History and register of ships. Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen 1974, ISBN 3-85649-021-3 , p. 40-41 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Erich Liechti et al .: Shipping on Lake Lucerne . History and register of ships. Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen 1974, ISBN 3-85649-021-3 , p. 40-41 .
- ↑ Erich Liechti et al .: Shipping on Lake Lucerne . History and register of ships. Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen 1974, ISBN 3-85649-021-3 , p. 8 .
- ^ A b c Robert Knöpfel: DS Italia . In: Dampferzeitung . No. 1 , 2011 ("Treasure trove" section).