Paddle steamer Stadt Rapperswil
Encyclopedia
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
on Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
. She was built in 1914 by Escher, Wyss & Cie. in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
for the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
The Lake Zurich Shipping Company or Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Zürich....
. In contrast to most other Swiss paddle steamers, the most striking features of this vessel and its sister ship Stadt Zürich
Paddle steamer Stadt Zürich
Stadt Zürich is the oldest steam paddle ship on Lake Zurich. Stadt Zürich was built in 1909 by Escher, Wyss & Cie. in Zürich for the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, as the 32nd ship in touristic service on Lake Zürich...
(1909) are a short smoke stack
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
, and a spacious 1st class upper deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
. The sister ships differ externally only minimally: In front, Stadt Rapperswil has a crossed flag mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
. Her 1st class is more luxurious than her sister ship's, recognizable by mahogany and pear tree panelling, and an elaborate staircase to the upper 1st class deck.
History
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
, housing members of cantonal and municipal authorities, representatives of Lake Zurich shore communities, and Escher, Wyss & Cie. and further prominent guests on board.. The acquisition of the new vessel was supported by subsidies of the Swiss government. The ship's salon
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
was built in Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style. The Zürcher Dampfbootgesellschaft (ZDG) then owned – together with Helvetia
Paddle steamer Helvetia
The Helvetia was a paddle steamer that operated on Lake Zürich in Switzerland between 1875 and 1958. She had a capacity of 1200 passengers....
(built in 1875) and Stadt Zürich – three big ships as backbone of its fleet. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, ship operations were reduced, and on December 2, 1918, operations even with steamships were stopped by the Swiss Bundesrat (Swiss Federal Council
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
) as Switzerland couldn't import coal. The schedule restrictions were loosened in 1919. Beginning World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the boiler stayed filled with water, and in Winter the plant room was heated to keep the temperature above the freezing point (operationally for military purposes for 24 hours).
In 1950/51, Stadt Zürich and Stadt Rapperswil went under a refit, where their steam machinery was replaced with diesel engines. In beginning 1970's, it was planned to take the steamship out of service: The two remaining paddle steamers on Lake Zürich – Stadt Rapperswil and Stadt Zürich – had been replaced by modern motor ship
Motor ship
A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V.- See also :...
s on daily service; practically they are in service on Sundays, except as of 1986 summer season and again since 2003/4. In 1983, the administrative board of the ZSG decides preservation of the two remaining steamships. «150 years steam navigation on the Lake Zurich» are celebrated with different activities in 1985, and Stadt Rapperswil was improved in Winter 1989/90: The old steam-boilers have been replaced by a new one, her technical equipment improved, her wooden deck and the wooden stairs to the 1st class have been refurbished. Moreover, the salon and the smoke cubicle have been restored into ther original appearances. The renovation has been financed by the public hand; by the «Aktion pro Raddampfer» association and by private donations.
In 2001, the project «Mit Volldampf voraus» (full tilt) is started. The two paddle steamships shall be equipped with improved comfort, once again. A collection campaign is started for the renewal of the salon steamers. One year later, on «Tag der Schweizer Schifffahrt» (Swiss navigation day's), in co-operation with the «Action pro Raddampfer». Revisions started in 2005/6: Sewage and power supply, refrigeration plants, diesel engine and heating are replaced. A new kitchen is installed, an improved glazing protects the passengers on the upper deck, so that the steamer can be used in every weather.