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House Flags of German Shipping Companies (s) - part 2

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (s) - Teil 2

Last modified: 2019-08-22 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: skogland | solscher | sommerfeld | spaleck | suedafrika linie | sunship | swatow | syndikats rhederei | speck | sprenger | spruth | soost | sylter dampf | skriver | seequarantaene | suck | suhr | suhr-witwe |
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[Germany] 3:5 image by António Martins-Tuválkin
German merchant ensign

For House Flags of German Shipping Companies(sch) click here.
For House Flags of German Shipping Companies(st) click here.


See also:

Skogland Linie

[Skogland Linie] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Mar 2007

Skogland Linie GmbH - The company had a 7-stripes flag with alternating red and white stripes starting with a red one.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945", ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; inside cover
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Mar 2007


K. K. Skriver (Seequarantääne Reederei GmbH)

[K. K. Skriver (Seequarantääne Reederei GmbH)] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 5 Aug 2019

The company was based in Lübeck. The flag was blue with white bordure and white, serifed inscription "SK".
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.202
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 5 Aug 2019


C.A.E. Solscher

[C.A.E. Solscher] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Apr 2007

C.A.E. Solscher - The company used a red flag with a white 6-point star in each corner. In the centre was a white disk with a blue serifed capital "S".
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945", ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; inside cover
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Apr 2007


Binnenschiffahrtskontor Sommerfeld

[Binnenschiffahrtskontor Sommerfeld] image by , image by Klaus-Michael Schneider and Eugene Ipavec, 21 Apr 2009

The flag is divided by a white saltire into red blue. In the centre is a white disc containing a red capital "S". The flag was said to belong to a transport and/or logistics company in Berlin. Two years have been gone by, but I haven't succeeded in identifying this flags. Jan Mertenswrote to me, confirming he had also seen the S-flag in Berlin in 2006.
Source: I spotted this flag at Billwerder Bucht in Hamburg on 13 March 2007.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2009

On 7 May 2006 Dominique sent a photo of inland navigation ufes to the List, message titled 'Some house flags from Berlin': one of these bears a white saltire defining blue triangles (top, bottom) and red ones (left, right) leaving out a circular space in the centre bearing a red initial, unserifed "S", see here (photo caroussel)
This neat little site, German only, presents BKS i.e. Binnenschifffahrtskontor (i.e. Inland Navigation Office) Sommerfeld GmbH of Buxtehude, a little town in Stade county west of Hamburg.We learn that the company has 30 000 metric tonnes of space available in vessels ranging between 400 and 2500 tonnes. More specifically, more than 20 vessels and a push boat (and eight push barges) are operated mainly on the rivers Weser and Elbe, and on the Northern German canals. Shipped are various commodities such as fodder, coal, ore, cement, project cargo,and containers.
The first link on the "Presse" (i.e. Press) page - see upper menu - leads to a text in English mentioning the year of foundation, 1991, by Rudolf Sommerfeld and the 2006 merger with the local Jöhnk wharf (repairs, pontoon building).
Jan Mertens, 3 May 2011


Johann H. Soost

[Johann H. Soost] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019

The company was based in Hamburg. The flag was blue, a red "S" in a white disc and white 5-point stars in every corner.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.22, image no.613
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019


Martin Spaleck

[Martin Spaleck] image by Jarig Bakker, 16 Oct 2005

Martin Spaleck, Schneverdingen (Schneverdingen is south of Hamburg) - horizontal blue - yellow - blue flag, in center of yellow blue "MS".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 16 Oct 2005


Claus Marcus Speck KG

[Claus Marcus Speck KG] image by Jarig Bakker, 16 Oct 2005

The company is located in Hörsten. In the centre of the blue flag is a yellow statant lion.
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 July 2012


William Sprenger

[William Sprenger] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 July 2019

The company was based in Stettin. It was a horizontal 5-stipes flag with alternating white and blue stripes, over all a black initial "S".
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.15, image no.238
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 July 2019


August Spruth

[August Spruth] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider and Tomislav Todorović, 16 July 2019

The company was based in Greifswald. The flag was red, charged with a white cross patty. The funnel was yellow with a black ring on top over a red ring, charged with a white cross patty.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.19, image no.435
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 July 2019


Heinrich Spruth

[Heinrich Spruth] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider and Tomislav Todorović, 16 July 2019

The company was based in Greifswald. The flag was red, charged with a white cross patty. The funnel was black with a red ring, charged with a white cross patty.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.19, image no.436
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 July 2019


Thomas Suck

[Thomas Suck] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019

Schleppschiffahrt Thomas Suck, i.e. tugboat shipping, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was white with a red equilateral triangle in centre.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019


Südafrika Linie (South African Lines)

[Südafrika Linie(Shipping Company, Germany)] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Mar 2009

It is a horizontal 7-stripes flag with alternating stripes of blue and orange with a white inscription "SAL" in the centre, the "A" in width exceeding both other capitals. The colours are those from former South African flag.
SAL ran a short joint service together with Deutsche Ost Afrika Linie, located in Hamburg-Altona, only from December 1967 until March 1968. A timetable can be found here. Another image of flag can be found here.
Source: I spotted this flag in a pub in St.Pauli on 28 May 2004.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Mar 2009


Suhr & Consorten

[Suhr & Consorten] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019

Ewerführerei Suhr & Consorten, i.e. tug skippers Suhr and consorts, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was a red-white-red horizontal triband with a black disc in the white stripe.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019


N. Suhr, Witwe

[N. Suhr, Witwe] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019

Bugsierbetrieb und Ewerführerei N. Suhr Witwe, i.e. towage company and tug skippers, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was white, divided by two blue horizontal stripes.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2019


Sunship Schiffahrtskontor

[Sunship Schiffahrtskontor] image by Jarig Bakker, 23 Nov 2005

The company is based in Emden - blue flag, in centre yellow sundisk with a bottom part missing, near bottom a white wavy stripe.
(Schiffahrtskontor = shipping office)
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 23 Nov 2005


Dampfschiff Gesellschaft Swatow

[Dampfs. Ges. Swatow] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Apr 2012 based on image located by Jan Mertens, 8 May 2007

As stated by Jorge Candeias on 15 Jan. 2005,  "clear flag, unclear caption.  The flag is trapezoidal, white, with three blue vertical stripes shifted to the hoist."   Extracted from the original pictures Jörg sent some time ago, the attached image with caption Dampfs. Ges. Swatow which I take to mean Steam Ship(ping) Co. Swatow.

Swatow, now Shantou, is situated in the Han River Delta, China, and I suppose the place must have been an important destination for above company, most probably German, to have been named after it. Unfortunately I have not been able to find out anything specific about this firm
Jan Mertens, 8 May 2007

A pedantic, but hopefully not useless, remark: It has been called the same since the 17th century. "Shantou", or rather "Shàntóu", is the Hanyu pinyin romanization of ""汕頭", which can also be rendered in other romanization schemes, such as "Swatow" using the so called Chinese Postal Map Romanization, now disused.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 May 2007


Sylter Dampfschiffahrts Gesellschaft AG

[Sylter Dampfschiffahrts Gesellschaft AG] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Aug 2019

The company was based in Westerland on Sylt Island. The flag was a light blue-white-red horizontal tricolour, with a white canton, charged with a black herring, the symbol of Sylt Island. The white stripe is charged with a black, serifed inscription "S.D.G.". The flag colours are those of Schleswig-Holstein.
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.284
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Aug 2019


Syndikats Rhederei Gesellschaft

[Syndikats Rhederei Gesellschaft] image by Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2005

Syndikats Rhederei Gesellschaft, Hamburg - red flag, white diamond, black "O" (or circle)
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2005


back to part 1 click here.
back to S-companies main page click here