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Lake Geneva, Switzerland
HISTORICAL PADDLE STEAMERS


Above : General Dufour (1905) seen in around 1914 in a photo by kind courtesy of Markus Graf
Sulzer-built General Dufour was the sister ship of Montreux which survives today although it was re-engined with diesels for a while. Long before Montreux's conversion General Dufour was considered unsuccessful. She was put on reserve in 1929 partly due to her high coal consumption
but not converted at the time alongside Geneve. She was used statically to provide steam for a distillery in Morges from 1939. She sank at her moorings in 1944 and languished until she was raised and refitted in 1954. Remarkably, she was put back into service as a steamer for another eleven years. Even more so was her continued survival, laid-up at Ouchy for a firther twelve years until she was dismantled in 1977

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Valais (1913-1962) Static use at Geneva until 2003
General Dufour (1905-1965)  Laid up at Ouchy until scrapped in 1977
Lausanne (1901-1977)
Geneve  (1896-1973)  Converted to diesel-electric in 1934. Remains (2023) in static use at Geneva.
Major Davel (1892-1967) Static use near Thonon then lay-up until 1990
France
(1886-1932) Static use at Geneva until 1963
Dauphin
(1882-1915)
Simplon
(1879-1917) renamed Guillaume-Tell in 1915
Jura
(1879-1905) sold to Lake Como
Mouette
(1875-1907)
Cygne
(1875-1910)
Mont Blanc
(1875-1940) renamed La Suisse in 1893 after a rebuild and Evian in 1910
Winkelried
(1871-1918)
Bonivard
(1868-1925)
La Fleche
(1866-1912) renamed Ville-de-Geneve in 1872 and Guillaume Tell in 1893
Chablais
(1866-1873)
Dranse
(1859-1873) renamed Mont Blanc in 1864
Leman
(1857-1939) Hull re-used for screw motor vessel Leman (1942-1983, scrapped in 1989)

Aigle III (1857-1917) renamed Aigle in 1873

Originally built in 1857 as Aigle III but renamed Aigle in 1873. Modernised a few times and reengined twice in her life until withdrawn in 1917 and scrapped shortly afterwards.
In 1892 she was changed from flush-deck to half-saloon format and 
re-engined in 1874 and 1892.
52 metres long


Rhone II (1857-1900) renamed Chillon in 1865
Rhone I
(1856-1883) renamed Rhone in 1865
Hirondelle
(1855-1862)
Ville-de-Nyon
(1854-1875) renamed Italie in 1857
Guillaume Tell
(1853-1893)
Helvetie
(1841-1918)
Leman
(1838-1856)
Aigle
(1837-1841, rebuilt and renamed). Aigle II (1842-1874) renamed Simplon in 1860
Leman
(1826-1837)
Leman Remorqueur
(1826-1827)
Winkelried
(1824-1842)
Guillaume Tell
(1823-1836)
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CGN
Historical Database