End of an Era: The History and Sinking of Garda’s ‘Tenace’ Pontoon
The sinking of the pontoon «Tenace» also marks the end of an era for those like myself who have had multiple contacts with everything “lake-related.” I recall a bit of history about this mass of iron that now lies on the seabed of the Lido Gulf. The pontoon was built when the Torbole power plant was under construction; it was used by the company as a base on the Sarca during the works. Then, if I remember correctly, in 1966, during a period of heavy flooding of the river, the pontoon broke its moorings and started sailing, crashing into the piers of the bridge at Torbole, damaging the structure and leading to the rebuilding of the bridge.
Meanwhile, thanks to the work of Egidio Molinari, then mayor of Riva, it arrived at the San Niccolò port to establish its base—the school for technical divers of the Itis «Rossi» of Vicenza, (the only state school of its kind in Europe)—with its director Ettore Modesti, one of Italy’s authorities in diving (who died prematurely some years ago), and the chief instructor Carlo Bianchini. Together with our doctor Giuseppe Giacopini, an ENT specialist and diver himself, who voluntarily served as the medical officer of the nautical base.
The School and the Base
The school needed a stable base to set up equipment. One day, Modesti, who identified that unused pontoon, purchased it, turning it into the mobile platform for various exercises that each year grew in technical complexity, thus preparing highly specialized technicians who still operate on oil platforms worldwide.
The name «Tenace» was given to the pontoon during one such exercise, when it withstood a storm that seemed incalculable. I remember that one year, inside the capsule lowered to 25 meters depth, Don Annibale Frascescotti—also present were Mayor Santi and myself as an altar server—celebrated a Mass, followed via intercom by the students and authorities positioned on the upper pontoon. It was the first underwater Mass ever recorded: a fascinating experience.
From Decay to Restoration
When the school disbanded, the «Tenace», ravaged by rust, was acquired by the Festival Committee for launching the fireworks on La Notte di Fiaba. Contrary to the hurried claims, it is not true that it lacked maintenance. Manlio Patuzzi and I filled part of its watertight tanks with a mixture of polystyrene balls and very little cement to act as a binder, ensuring a reserve of buoyancy that would prolong the life of the pontoon for many years.
When the dock at Porto Catena was built, the company requested to borrow the pontoon, which, poorly moored during a storm, was further damaged. They then asked the company to repair it somehow, filling the remaining watertight tanks with more cement and polystyrene mixture, which was done. However, there was more cement than polystyrene, and from that day on, the «Tenace» slowly began to sink, with no way to stop it.
The timely intervention of Manlio Patuzzi, who halted the transfer operations of the mixture, prevented the pontoon from sinking again in its old location. But its fate was already sealed, and despite our efforts to do something, there was really nothing that could be done, especially since the other necessary tools were unavailable. A subsequent storm that hit it at the Punta Lido mooring caused its final collapse.
Now, after a life full of history and glory, «Tenace» has ended up beneath the waters of Garda, where it served as a classroom of work, instruction, daring, and rescue—waters it had once dominated, earning its name.