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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
Lake
Garda, Italy
Navigazione
Lago di Garda (NLG)
Above
: A post card issued by Garami and for sale in 2013 shows two paddlers,
possibly Garda and Baldo, near Riva in the early part of the twentieth
century. Gordon Stewart collection
The
two paddlers built in the early 1900s to modernise the fleet remain
in service into the 21st century albeit with their steam engines
replaced by diesel units. In common with other Italian lakes, the
paddlers see little service, with more economical motor units being
the main workhorses.
The relative size and relative modernity of Italia and G Zanardelli
meant that they survived the cull of steamers which began after the
transfer of ownership of the steamer operations from the State Ministry
of Works to the Societa Anonima per la Navigazione sul Lago di Garda in 1924.
Paddle steamers Agostino Depretis and Benaco (1888) were scrapped in 1925. Four were converted to diesel-powered screw ships : Baldo, Garda, Angela Emo (1895) and Lazzaro Moccenigo (1895). New motor ships Trento, Verona and Brescia were also introduced at that time.
EXISTING PADDLE VESSELS (Motorised ex-steamers)
G Zanardelli
Italia
.
Historical Paddle Steamer surviving in service as a motor vessel until 2008
Above : Paddle Steamer Baldo (Odero, 1900), as she was when pictured in a 1911
edition of the magazine Monti e Riviere. An early conversion to diesel
and screw propulsion in 1925, in later years she was modified to resemble the
newer motor vessels of the 1960s era. In her new guise she sailed until 2008.
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