Salvage of the Säntis steamship has to be postponed
Published: Saturday, Apr 13th 2024, 12:10
Volver a Live Feed
The salvage of the steamboat Säntis from the bottom of Lake Constance planned for next Wednesday has had to be postponed due to technical problems. It is currently unclear when the salvage operation can take place.
One of the reasons for the postponement of the salvage operation was a broken rope, said Silvan Paganini, president of the ship salvage association, on Saturday. The rope had broken when a rescue line was being pulled in. As a result, the entire guide line sank to the foredeck of the wreck.
In addition, technical parts on the diving robot had to be replaced. The lines will then have to be untangled by a diving robot at a depth of 210 meters before the recovery process can continue, as detailed in a press release.
No forecast possible
It is currently unclear how long this will take: "We are keeping at it and are convinced that we will be able to salvage the Säntis steamship this summer," Paganini is quoted as saying in the communiqué.
The seven spectator ships organized for the salvage with around 1000 guests would now be cancelled. The ship salvage association and the Swiss Lake Constance Navigation Company would re-advertise the salvage trips as soon as it was clear when they could take place.
The "Säntis" was scuttled in May 1933 because it was no longer fit to sail. She lies in the middle of the lake between Romanshorn and Langenargen (Germany). Scrapping her was rejected as too expensive at the time. The 49-metre-long ship had been sailing on Lake Constance since 1892 and could carry 400 passengers.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic