Today, (and for the next few weeks) ive got something special for you. This is the paddlesteamer DS Uri. She the oldest of 4 other paddlesteamers on the Vierwaldstättersee in Switzerland. I hope you will enjoy this cosy steamer ;D.



The steam ship company of Lake Lucerne (DGV) ordered the saloon steamboat 1899 at Sulzer in Winterthur. The construction decision coincided with that for the paddle steamer Unterwalden, which was ordered by Escher Wyss. The launch took place on January 19, 1901 and on May 8, 1901, the ship took the rule service after the official takeover of May 4.

As a machine, the Uri has a sloping Sulzer two-cylinder steam-steam combined steam engine with condensation. It has an output of 650 hp.

Already in the winter of 1903/04 the defective paddle wheels had to be replaced. Around 1920, a closed wheelhouse was built, at the same time they cut down the masts. 1949 was a conversion from coal to heavy oil firing and 1952, a major revision was made. After another major revision in 1959, the Uri was extensively rebuilt from 1960 to 1961 to allow underrunning the new Achereggbrücke at Stansstad. As with the Unterwalden, a protective aluminum roof was built along with the new, retractable wheelhouse, a telescopic chimney and telescopic masts on the upper deck. After a major overhaul from 1979 to 1981, during which the Uri remained in motion during the summer months, these modifications were reversed with the general revision from 1991 to 1994. The Uri got back the appearance she had before 1960, which also lost her ability to drive under the Achereggbrücke. At the same time, the steam boilers and the low-pressure cylinder had to be replaced.

Like the other four active Lake Lucerne steamers Unterwalden, Schiller, Gallia and Lucerne, the Uri is classified as a cultural asset of national importance (category A). In 1998, the Uri was awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.