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Lake Maggiore, Italy
Navigazione Lago di Maggiore (NLM)
Steamer services were inaugurated in 1826 with PS Verbano and continue to this day with PS Piemonte, built in 1904, but now seeing only occasional service in the main summer season, almost exclusively on charter sailings. An intensive service is, however, provided by motor vessels on this beautiful lake.

The first operator was the Impresa Lombardo-Sardo-Ticinese in 1826, later run by the governement of Sardinia. From 1853 Lloyd-Austriaco was an active operator but went into liquidation. Its three steamers (* in the list below) were sold to the Swiss governement who disarmed the ships which had been fitted out for Austrian/Italian conflict and sold them back to the Sardinian (Italian) government. From 1867, services were in the hands of the Milanese-based company Innocente Mangilli but by the first world war, they were operated by the state.  In 1923 they were transferred to the Societa Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie.

Following Regina Madre (now Piemonte) (1904) and Lombardia (1908), three oil-fired paddlers entered service between 1912 and 1914 (Milano, Torino and Genova) and a slightly smaller screw steamer in 1913 before the introduction of nine motor vessels in 1923/24 following the transfer of operations to railway ownership. Proposals to convert the modern paddle steamers to motor power were not followed through on.

Genova and Torino were both sunk on 25th September 1944 in an air attack. Milano was similarly sunk the following day

Piemonte spends most of her time moored at the NLM shipyard in Arona adjacent to Lombardia which operates as a restaurant, having been withdrawn in 1958. The third of the paddlers (Italia) was also taken out of service in 1958 and scrapped.

EXISTING PADDLE STEAMER
Piemonte
STATICALLY PRESERVED PADDLER
Lombardia

SURVIVING MOTOR VESSEL (ex-PADDLE STEAMER)

Torino

PADDLE STEAMERS

Verbano (1826-1847)
San Carlo (1842-1870)
Verbano (1844)
Verbano (1845)
* Taxis / Ticino (1853-1950)
* Benedek (1853-1896)
* Radetsky (1853)
San Gottardo (1853-1918)
San Berdardino (1855)
Lucmagno (1855-1914)
Verbano (1876-1918)
Eridanus (1883)
Italia (1888)
Elvezia (1890)
Sempione (1896-1933)
France (1903)
Regina Madre / Piemonte (1904)

Lombardia (1908)
Milano (1912-1944)
Sunk in an enemy air attack with 26 deaths
Torino (1913-1945)
Sunk in an enemy air attack but later rebuilt as a motor vessel
Genova (1914-1944) Sunk in an enemy air attack with 34 deaths


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