Shipping Thurgau insists on clean-up operation after failed ship salvage
During the failed salvage of the "Säntis" steamship, the Romanshorn ship salvage association dumped around two dozen tons of material in Lake Constance. The canton of Thurgau is now insisting that at least some of it be salvaged from a depth of 210 meters.
30.08.2025, 12:00
SDA
Instead of bringing the steamship "Säntis", which sank in 1933, back to the surface, a salvage platform weighing around 25 tons crashed to the bottom of the lake in May 2024 during an attempt to salvage the wreck. In addition to the steel structure with two steel tanks, huge plastic lifting bags and a lost diving robot have been lying by the wreck of the "Säntis" ever since.
"The canton insists that the plastic parts and the snagged robot be removed," said Martin Eugster, head of the Thurgau Environmental Agency, to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The ship salvage association is currently examining the technical possibilities for fulfilling the requirements of the canton, which approved the salvage attempt at the time. The salvage association is also required to document the completion of the clean-up operation with photos or videos.
Failed salvage operation leaves behind scrap steel
The steel platform, however, may remain in the lake, Eugster continued. It had become wedged in the wreck and could only be salvaged "with major damage" to the "Säntis".
"Of course, we would have preferred to have the steamship removed rather than the situation where scrap steel from the failed salvage operation is now lying on the bottom of Lake Constance," says Eugster. However, there is no acute danger to the lake.
Salvage association has special tool developed
"We are working on the development of a hydraulic cutting tool to cut through some of the steel girders and thick steel cables at a depth of 210 meters to release the lifting bags," said Silvan Paganini, President of the Romanshorn Ship Salvage Association, when asked by Keystone-SDA.
Such a special device would be manufactured in England. The delivery time would be almost a year, Paganini continued. The financing has not yet been secured either. The entire recovery of the sunken material will cost around 20,000 francs. Hundreds of volunteer hours have already been spent on the clean-up operation.
Deliberately sunk in 1933
The "Säntis" was deliberately sunk in May 1933. It lies in the middle of the lake between Romanshorn and Langenargen D. At the time, scrapping it was rejected as too expensive. The 49-metre-long ship had been sailing on Lake Constance since 1892 and could carry 400 passengers.
The former owner of the steamboat, Schweizerische Bodensee-Schifffahrt AG, sold the wreck to the ship salvage association for a symbolic franc.
