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Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN)
CGN Page 1: Paddle Steamers - 1822-1886
This page is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of the
Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN), and its predecessors
.
A list of ships
shown on this page is shown below. The ship reference numbers relate to those used in the book
Schiffart auf dem Genfersee
, by Meister, Gwerder and Liechti, the primary reference work on the Geneva steamers. Below this is the
Fleet List - Part 1
in chronological order. There is a table of individual ship histories on the
CGN Header Page
.
When the US consul to France, Edward Church, arrived in Geneva, he was amazed to find that there were no steam boats in service on the lake. He obtained a concession to initiate such a service from the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva, and ordered a wooden hull to be built by Mauriac in Bordeaux, plus an engine and boiler from Liverpool. On Wednesday 28th May, 1823, the
Guillaume Tell (1)
, the first steamer on Lake Geneva, was completed, entering service on the 18th June. Edward Church soon sold his interest to a combination of buyers from Geneva and Bordeaux, and in 1824 the
Société du Bateaux à Vapeur le Guillaume-Tell
was formed. The success of
Guillaume Tell (1)
prompted the formation a a rival concern, the
Enterprise du Winkelried
, whose steamer
Winkelried (1)
entered service in 1824. The two concerns combined in 1829, to form the
Compagnie Genevoise des Bateaux à Vapeur Réunis.
Ships on This Page:-
1:
Guillaume Tell (1)
(1823-36)
2:
Winkelried (1)
(1824-1842)
3: Léman Remorquer (1826-1829)
4:
Léman (1)
(1826-1837) - later
Léman (2)
5:
Aigle (1)
(1836-1841) - later
Aigle (2)
,
Simplon (1)
6:
Léman (2)
(1838-1856) - ex-
Léman (1)
7:
Helvétie (1)
(1841-1918)
8:
Aigle (2)
(1842-1860) - ex-
Aigle (1)
, later
Simplon (1)
8:
Simplon (1)
(1860-1874) - ex-
Aigle (1)
,
Aigle (2)
9:
Guillaume Tell (2)
(1853-96)
10:
Ville-de-Nyon
(1853-1856) - later
Italie (1)
10:
Italie (1)
(1856-1875) - ex-
Ville-de-Nyon
11:
Hirondelle
(1856-1862)
12:
Rhône No.1
(1855-1883)
13:
Aigle (3)
(1857-1918)
14:
Rhône No.2
(1857-1865) - later
Chillon
14:
Chillon
(1857-1865) - ex-
Rhône No.2
15:
Léman (3)
(1857-1927) - later
Léman (4)
15:
Léman (4)
(1942-1989) - ex-
Léman (3)
16:
Dranse
(1859-65) - later
Mont Blanc (1)
16:
Mont Blanc (1)
(1859-65) - ex-
Dranse
17:
Chablais (1)
(1866-1873)
18:
La Flèche
(1866-1872) - later
Ville de Genève
,
Guillaume Tell
18:
Ville de Genève
(1872-1893) - ex-
La Flèche
, later
Guillaume Tell
18:
Guillaume Tell (3)
(1893-1912) - ex-
La Flèche
,
Ville de Genève
19:
Bonivard
(1868-1925)
20:
Winkelried (2)
(1871-1918)
21: Mouche No.1 (1874-1885) - later Abeille
21: Abeille (1885-1901) - ex-Mouche No.1
22: Mouche No.2 (1874-1885) - later Ville d'Evian
22: Ville d'Evian (1885-1901) - ex-Mouche No.2
23:
Mouette
(1875-1907)
24:
Mont Blanc (2)
(1875-1893) - later
La Suisse (1)
,
Evian
24:
La Suisse (1)
(1893-1910) - ex-
Mont Blanc (2)
, later
Evian
24:
Evian
(1910-1940) - ex-
Mont Blanc (2)
,
La Suisse (1)
25:
Cygne
(1875-1910)
26:
Mouche No.3
(1875-1885) - later
Ville de Vevey
26:
Ville de Vevey
(1885-1897) - ex-
Mouche No.3
27:
Jura
(1879-1905)
28:
Simplon (2)
(1879-1915) - later
Guillaume Tell (4)
28:
Guillaume Tell (4)
(1915-1917) - ex-
Simplon (2)
29:
Dauphin
(1882-1917)
30:
France
(1886-1933)
CGN Pages:-
CGN Header Page
CGN - Page 1
- Paddle Steamers 1822-1886
- this page!
CGN - Page 2
- Paddle Vessels 1887-2004
CGN - Page 3
- Screw Motor Vessels
CGN - Page 4
- The 2004 Fleet
CGN - Page 5
- The 2005 Fleet
CGN - Page 6
- The 2006 Fleet
Associated Pages:-
2004 Holiday on Lake Geneva
2005 Weekend in Geneva
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
www.sub-rec.ch
- Underwater images from lac Leman including wrecks of Cygne, Rhone (1), Simplon (1), etc
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CGN Fleet List - Page 1
1:
Guillaume Tell (1)
(1823-36)
When the US consul to France, Edward Church, arrived in Geneva, he was amazed to find that there were no steam boats in service on the lake. He obtained a concession to initiate such a service from the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva, and ordered a wooden hull to be built by Mauriac in Bordeaux, plus an engine and boiler from Liverpool. On Wednesday 28th May, 1823, the
Guillaume Tell (1)
, the first steamer on Lake Geneva, was completed, entering service on the 18th June.
Guillaume Tell (1)
was about 25m long and carried 200 passengers. Edward Church soon sold his interest to a combination of buyers from Geneva and Bordeaux, and in 1824 the
Société du Bateaux à Vapeur le Guillaume-Tell
was formed. The success of
Guillaume Tell (1)
prompted the formation a a rival concern, the
Enterprise du Winkelried
, whose steamer
Winkelried (1)
entered service in 1824. The two concerns combined in 1829.
A modern art card of
Guillaume Tell (1)
, the first steamboat on Lake Geneva.
2:
Winkelried (1)
(1824-1842)
The success of
Guillaume Tell (1)
prompted the formation a a rival concern, the
Enterprise du Winkelried
, whose vessel of that name entered service in 1824. Her wooden hull was again built by Mauriac of Bordeaux, and the boiler and machinery also came from the UK. In 1829,
Enterprise du Winkelried
, merged with their rivals, the
Société du Bateaux à Vapeur le Guillaume-Tell. Winkelried
was withdrawn in 1842.
Winkelried (1)
was 29m long and carried 300 passengers.
A contemporary print of
Winkelried (1)
.
A contemporary print of
Winkelried (1)
at Vevey-Marché in 1825.
4:
Léman (1)
(1826-1837)
6:
Léman (2)
(1838-1856)
In 1824 a company was formed in Lausanne to compete with the Geneva- based steamers
Guillaume Tell (1)
and
Winkelried (1)
. The
Léman (1)
was built by Boulton & Watt of Birmingham, using their own machinery, and was launched on Saturday 15th July 1826, entering service on Sunday 23rd July. Following the arrival of the
Aigle (1)
in 1836,
Léman (1)
was totally rebuilt by Escher Weiss of Zurich, effectively returning as a new ship, generally referred to as the
Léman (2)
.
Léman (1)
was 36.9m long and carried 500 passengers, dimensions which were unchanged when the new iron hull was built becoming
Léman (2)
. She retained her original engines by Boulton & Watt, although nominal power increased from 60hp to 76hp (higher pressure boiler?).
A contemporary print of
Léman (1)
.
A modern art card of
Léman (1)
.
5:
Aigle (1)
(1836-1841)
Aigle (1)
was the last wooden-hulled steamer built for Lake Geneva, hull and engines being built by Miller and Ravenhill in London. She was owned by the
Compagnie Genevoise des Bateaux à Vapeur Réunis
, owners of
Guillaume Tell (1)
and
Winkelried (1)
.
Aigle (1)
was 36.9m long and carried 500 passengers. Despite being relatively new, the new iron hull of
Léman (2)
showed the future, and
Aigle
was similarly rebuilt between 1841-1842. The new iron hull for
Aigle (2)
was also supplied by Miller and Ravenhill. Subsequent history is covered
on this link
.
A contemporary print of
Aigle (1)
.
7:
Helvétie (1)
(1841-1918)
Helvétie (1)
was built for a new operator, the
Compagnie de l'Helvétie
, by Ditchborne & Mar of the UK, who also built her engines. Her had the latest Scotch boilers and oscillating engines, and was very economical compared to her predecessors. In 1858 she was in an accident with
Aigle (2)
near Nyon, and 16 people died. The captain was blamed and the company had to pay a fine, which caused it to fail. A new company
Société de l'Helvétie
, was formed to continue services. A few years later, she was owned by
Compagnie du Bateau à Vapeur l'Helvétie
. In 1872 she was totally rebuilt, receiving new boilers and machinery from Escher Weiss. The following year, she was bought by the new
Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN). In 1880,
Helvétie (1)
received a wheelhouse ahead of her funnel. She survived until 1918, when she was sold for scrap.
A contemporary print of
Helvétie (1)
at Lausanne-Ouchy.
A modern art card of
Helvétie (1)
, as built.
An early photograph of
Helvétie (1)
, c.1860.
Photograph of
Helvétie (1)
, as rebuilt in 1872.
Postcard of
Helvétie (1)
, at Thonon-les-Bains.
Postcard of
Helvétie (1)
, and
Cygne
(left), at Geneva.
Postcard of
Helvétie (1)
, at Clarens.
Postcard of
Helvétie (1)
, at Geneva, with later white hull, received in 1910.
8:
Aigle (2)
(1842-1860)
8:
Simplon (1)
(1860-1874)
Aigle (1)
had been built as the last wooden-hulled steamer of Lake Geneva, hull and engines being built by Miller and Ravenhill in London. Despite being relatively new, the new iron hull of
Léman (2)
showed the future, and
Aigle (1)
was rebuilt with an iron hull by her original builders Miller and Ravenhill between 1841-1842. The new
Aigle (2)
was longer at 50.5m, and retained her Miller and Ravenhill engines. These were later replaced by more modern 2-cylinder compound oscillating engines by Escher Weiss. She could carry 700 passengers, 200 more than in her original format. In 1860,
Aigle (2)
was sold to the
Compagnie des Chemins de fer de la Ligne d'Italie
an renamed
Simplon (1)
. On the creation of
Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN), in 1873,
Simplon (1)
was hired for one year. She was then out of use until bought by CGN in 1879 for use as a pontoon in Jardin-Anglais at Geneva, surviving in this form until 1935, when she was taken out into the lake and scuttled. She was replaced as a pontoon by the
France
.
Photograph of
Aigle (2)
at Geneva.
Photograph of
Simplon (1)
(ex-
Aigle (1)
,
Aigle (2)
) and
Hirondelle
(behind) at Geneva in 1862.
9:
Guillaume Tell (2)
(1853-96)
10:
Ville-de-Nyon
(1853-1856)
10:
Italie (1)
(1856-1875)
Photograph of
Italie (1)
at Geneva.
11:
Hirondelle
(1856-1862)
Hirondelle
was the first steamer on Lake Geneva of totally Swiss construction, built by Escher Wyss of Zurich in 1856.
Photograph of
Hirondelle
, at Geneva in 1860.
Enlarged image from the photograph of
Hirondelle
, at Geneva in 1860.
Photograph of
Simplon (1)
and
Hirondelle
(behind) at Geneva in 1862.