The salvage of the steamship “Säntis” on Lake Constance has failed. There were technical problems and the salvage platform sank into the depths. Is this the end of the project?
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The steamship “Säntis” could not be recovered from the bottom of Lake Constance on Sunday due to technical problems. It was the second attempt to bring the old steamship to the surface from a depth of 210 meters. Those responsible had already had to call off a rescue operation in April.
The consequences of the second failed attempt are more serious. “A large part of the recovery platform with lifting bags and tanks is broken, many lines are tangled in the wreck,” said recovery manager Silvan T. Paganini on “Blick TV”. “We have failed,” he said. And later: “This is the end of the project.”
Attempt to rescue the “Säntis”: Brake on rope reel came loose
The problems during the rescue operation occurred at around 10:40 a.m. The brake on a large rope reel on which the recovery platform was hanging had come loose. The “Blick TV” live stream showed that the crew on board the recovery ship no longer had control over the rope on which the recovery platform was hanging. According to experts, this was a very dangerous situation for the team members on the ship.
Platform sinks uncontrollably
In a matter of seconds, the platform, which weighed several tons and contained eight lifting bags and two large steel tanks, sank into the depths. Pictures from a diving robot showed a short time later how the tanks and yellow lifting bags were lying on the wreck. Paganini was not yet able to give any reasons for the technical problems.
This graphic shows how the “Säntis” is to be raised. Schiffsbergeverein Romanshorn eV
Two large tanks and eight yellow air bags were attached to the recovery platform. The tanks and bags were to be flooded with water or filled with compressed air, depending on whether the platform was to sink or later rise with the wreck.
This is how the lifting of the “Säntis” should take place:
Already second failed attempt
It was the second attempt to raise the 126-ton steamship, which was resting 210 meters below the lake bed between Romanshorn and Langenargen, to 12 meters below the water surface. The first attempt failed in mid-April due to technical problems during preparations.
Romanshorn
Technical problems delay the start of the rescue of the steamship “Säntis” from Lake Constance cancelled for the time being
Due to technical problems, the planned start of the recovery of the historic steamship “Säntis” from the bottom of Lake Constance has been postponed. The wreck has been lying at a depth of 210 meters for 91 years.
The wreck of the “Säntis” was rediscovered in 2013 during the depth survey of Lake Constance. In 2023, it was sold for a symbolic franc to the Romanshorn ship salvage association, which raised 260,000 francs through crowdfunding for the raising and conservation of the ship.
Historian criticizes the raising of the “Säntis”
The ambitious project, which has been running for months, to bring the historic paddle steamer from the bottom of the lake has attracted a lot of attention and support far beyond the Lake Constance region. However, there are also doubts about the long-term purpose of the project. The historian and director of the Konstanz Municipal Museums, Tobias Engelsing, told SWR that what the initiators have achieved is great. “But it would make more sense to leave this monument to transport history in its grave.”
I believe that we are doing this monument a disservice in terms of conservation by taking the ship out of the sea, from the safe, oxygen-free depths, and into the fresh air.
In this video by the ship salvage association, the wreck of the “Säntis” can be seen on the bottom of Lake Constance:
The plan was to clean and preserve the “Säntis” after salvaging it in the shipyard in Romanshorn.
The steamship “Säntis”
The “DS Säntis” is one of more than 70 steamships that were used on Lake Constance until the middle of the 20th century. The semi-saloon steamer with paddle wheels was put into service by the Swiss Northeastern Railway in 1892. The “Säntis” is 49 meters long, weighs 126 tons and could carry 400 passengers. It was decommissioned in 1933 and sunk in the middle of Lake Constance on May 2nd to save on disposal costs.
2024-05-26 20:34:47
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