La Suisse (2) - Page 1 - Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN)


Page 1 - Historic Postcards


Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN)



This page is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman (CGN) steamer La Suisse (2). This page shows historic postcards of the La Suisse (2), issued before the arrival of modern colour postcards. Later colour cards are shown on La Suisse (2) - Page 2. Other La Suisse (2) pages are listed below. There is a table of all CGN individual ship histories on the CGN Header Page.

La Suisse (2) was ordered in September 1908 from Sulzer Brothers of Winterthur. She entered service in May 1910, and became the flagship of CGN, a position held ever since. She was the first 70 metre steamer in Switzerland, making her the largest in the country. She could carry 1500 passengers (now 1350). Her size, but not length, was subsequently exceeded by Simplon (3) and Helvétie (2). She originally had two boilers, providing steam for a 1450 hp 2-cylinder compound engine, which gave a speed of 29.1 km/h.

The keel of La Suisse (2) was modified in 1918, and her boiler was re-tubed in 1927. She received an aluminium canopy for the upper deck at the same time. In 1931, the forward part of this deck was glazed in, but the enclosed smoking saloon was maintained. La Suisse (2) was laid up, like many other large units in the fleet, from 1940-1947, due to the war. She re-entered service in in 1948, and received a refit of saloons in 1952. Her boilers were converted to oil-firing during the winter of 1959-60. The glazed upper deck area was enlarged and modernised, and the smoking saloon removed at the same time. Large windows were also added to the front of the 2nd Class saloon.

During the 1968 season, La Suisse (2) failed several times due to problems with her boilers, which had to be replaced. They were replaced by a single large boiler from Siller & Jamart of Wuppertal. The electrical systems were upgraded from 65 volts to 220 volts at the same time, and she was fitted with an electro-hydraulic steering system. The funnel and bridge were also replaced, La Suisse (2) being a rejuvenated vessel on her return to service in 1971. The single boiler proved far more economical than the the new double installation for Simplon (3) of 1967-68, resulting in the older ship seeing far more service in subsequent years. The engines of La Suisse (2) received major revisions in the winters of 1981-83. Subsequent modernisations included a water-recycling plant in 1984, and a heating system for the glazed upper deck. In 2003 the Association Patrimoine du Leman donated a new figurehead, and the diesel generators were replaced in the same year.

In her early career, La Suisse (2) was based at Geneva for a daily return run along the length of the lake to Bouveret, replacing the La Suisse (1) which was renamed Evian and assigned to secondary services. In the 21st Century she has returned to this rota, leaving Geneva Mont Blanc pier at 9:00hrs each morning in 2005. During much of the 1980s and 1990s, La Suisse (2) was based in Lausanne-Ouchy. She ran a daily lunch cruise to Evian-les-Bains, followed by a circuit of the Upper Lake leaving Ouchy at 14:15 hrs. In some years she then took an evening commuter return to Evian, providing larger capacity than the motor vessels for the returning workers. On Saturdays, this would be extended into an evening dance cruise. Radical changes to the timetable are expected in 2006, with the end of through services from Geneva to Bouveret. La Suisse's route is likely to be curtailed at Vevey, with a connection to Bouveret run by the Vevey, in what is also scheduled to be her last season.


La Suisse (2) Pages:-
La Suisse (2) - Page 1 - Historic Postcards - this page!
La Suisse (2) - Page 2 - Modern Postcards
La Suisse (2) - Page 3 - Pre-2004 Photographs
La Suisse (2) - Page 4 - 2004 Photographs
La Suisse (2) - Page 5 - 2005 Photographs

CGN Pages:-
CGN Header Page
CGN - Page 1 - Paddle Steamers 1822-1886
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

Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page

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Page 1 - Historic Postcards


Early Photoglob card (Zurich) of La Suisse, at Montreux, with white funnel.
The black top is carried down lower than most other photos show.


Early Levy card (Paris) of La Suisse, with white funnel.



Real Photographs card of La Suisse, with white funnel.


Early Phototypie Co card (Lausanne) of La Suisse, with white funnel.



Early Perrochet & David card of La Suisse, with white funnel.
Posted from Lausanne Gare, but date indecipherable.


Editions Jaeger card (Geneva) of La Suisse, with later yellow funnel.


Later Perrochet-Matile card of La Suisse.


Later Perrochet-Matile card of La Suisse.
Variation (with border) of the card above.


Later L.Fauraz card (Annemasse) of La Suisse, at Evian-les-Bains.
Posted from Evian in 1924.


Later Levy card (Paris) of La Suisse.


Wilhelm Pleyer (Zurich) card F1850 of La Suisse.


Later card of La Suisse at Geneva.


Edition J.Kaech card (Ouchy) of La Suisse, at Ouchy.


Edition C.Saartori card (Geneva) of La Suisse.


J.Cellard card (Bron) of La Suisse, at Evian-les-Bains.
The card was written in August 1952.


Georges Jaeger card (Geneva) of La Suisse, at Geneva.
The card was posted in 1969.


Leman Ganguin & Laubscher card (Montreux) of La Suisse, at Montreux.
The card was posted in 1969.


Artas card of La Suisse (left) at Geneva with Simplon (3).
The card was posted in 1969.


Perrochet card VD225 of La Suisse.
This card is from after 1960, when the large windows were added to the front of the 2nd Class saloon (compare with the card above).


Jean Margueral card BA15 of La Suisse arriving at Lausanne-Ouchy.




One of a series of eight postcards showing each of the surviving paddle vessels, issued in 1998 for the 125th Anniversary of CGN.
This one shows both historic and modern images of La Suisse.



Later colour cards are shown on La Suisse (2) - Page 2




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