House Flags of German Fishing and Whaling Companies - Part 1

Flaggen deutscher Fisch- und Walfang Reedereien - Teil 1

Last modified: 2019-08-12 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: braker herings | bremen-vegesacker fg | cuxhavener hfag | erste dtsche wal | flensburger fv | geestemuender hhf | grundmann groeschel | beucker | cranz | elsflether hering | elingins | lefke | emder heringsfischerei | altonaer |
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• Altonaer Hochseefischerei AG
• Otto Beucker
• Braker Heringsfischerei AG
• Bremen-Vegesacker Fischerei Gesellschaft
• Hochseefischerei Bremerhaven AG
• F. Busse
• Hochseefischerei AG "Trave" (F. Busse)
• Cranzer Fischdampfer Gesellschaft (Otto Bröhau)
• Cuxhavener Hochseefischerei Aktiengesellschaft
• Deutsche Fischerei AG
• Deutsche Seefischhandels AG
• N. Ebeling
• Elingins
• Elsflether Hering Fischerei
• Emder Heringsfischerei AG
• Erdmann Lefke
• Erste Deutsche Walfang Gesellschaft
• Flensburger Fischereiverein von 1872
• H. Fock Hochseefischerei
• Geestemünder Herings & Hochseefischerei
• Grundmann & Gröschel

• House Flags of German Shipping Companies
• House Flags of Shipping Companies
• Germany

Altonaer Hochseefischerei AG

The company was based in Altona. The flag was blue with a modified coat of arms of Altona city, the base was green and not wavy and the gate's wings were also green. The shield was surrounded by white initials "A" (top hoist and base hoist) , "H" (top fly) and "G" (bottom fly).
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.47
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 July 2019

Otto Beucker

The company was based in Wesermünde-Geestemünde and ran 5 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 1150 GRT. The white flag displayed a red, unserifed initial "B" shifted to the hoist. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland.
Source: Lloyd 1933 , p.6, image no.13
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Braker Heringsfischerei Aktiengesellschaft

The company was located in Brake upon Unterweser near Bremen. The blue flag was divided by a broad, white, centred cross. In the four quarters were white, dotted initials of the name "B" (upper hoist), "H" (upper fly), "A" (lower hoist) and "G" (lower fly). In the centre of the flag was a red lozenge.
Source: Lloyds 1912 ; p.98, flag no.1288
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 May 2012

Bremen-Vegesacker Fischerei Gesellschaft

image by Ivan Sache, 14 Mar 2008

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels 1912 shows the house flag of "Bremen-Vegesacker Fischerei Gesellschaft" (#14, p. 37), a company based in Grohn, as white with a vertical border along the hoist made of two columns of six squares, alternating red and white, two horizontal stripes on top and bottom of the flag (width, one square), and the black letters "BV" in the middle.

The name of the company reads "Fishing Company of Bremen-Vegesack". Vegesack is a borough of the town of Bremen, while Grohn is a borough of Vegesack.
Founded in 1897, the company became one of the biggest herring fishing company in Europe. In 1895, the company purchased the steel saillogger "Vegesack BV2", used as a herring fishing vessel (drifter) at the North Sea. Sold in 1921, the ship had several successive owners, and is still operate by the "Maritime Tradition Vegesack Nautilus" association, as the oldest Europen herring drifter.
Source: "Schooner Man" website.

The company was overtaken in 1968 by the "Norddeutsche Hochseefischerei AG" (NDHAG), based in Bermerhaven. The house flag of the company is derived from the flag of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
Ivan Sache, 14 Mar 2008

The company was based in Grohn near Vegesack, today Bremen, and ran 53 fishing loggers, sailing and motor trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 7030 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea. The flag was white with red stripes at top and bottom edge. A chequered pale of 16 alternating red and white cubes was at the hoist, taken from the flag of Bremen. Shifted to the hoist were black, serifed initials "BV".
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.7 , image no.19

Hochseefischerei Bremerhaven AG

The company was based in Bremerhaven. In 1928 he flag was a re-white-red horizontal triband. The white stripe was charged with a coat of arms with white mural crown, the shield was red with a key in bend, the Bremen arms, with a white chief, charged with a black cross patty, the Vegesack arms. In 1933 there was a similar flag. The only difference was a slightly broader white stripe. And the name of the company had changed to Hochseefischerei Niedersachsen. The suffix "Stadtgemeinde Bremerhaven" probably indicates that it then was a city owned company.
Sources: Lloyd 1933, p.10 image no.51 and Massary 1928, series 1, image no.155
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Aug 2019

F. Busse

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 May 2012

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

It was a blue, converging swallow tail pennant fimbriated white except the hoist side. In the blue field were white, dotted capitals "FB " shifted to the hoist and in the fly a white fish facing the hoist.
Source: Lloyds 1912 ; p.85, flag no. 1019
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 May 2012

The company was based in Wesermünde-Geestemünde and ran 9 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 2200 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland. The blue flag had white edges at three sides. The fly was embowed. At the central hoist were white initials "FB ", at the central fly a white fish.
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.7 , image no.21
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Hochseefischerei AG "Trave" (F. Busse)

The company was based in Lübeck, and ran 6 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 1600 GRT. The company operated in the Baltic Sea. It was probably a subsidiary of F.Busse. The blue flag had a white lozenge in its centre, bearing a red, serifed initial "T".
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.10 , image no.49
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Cranzer Fischdampfer Gesellschaft (Otto Bröhau)

The company was based in Altona, today Hamburg and ran 6 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 1700 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland. Cranz is a small hamlet on the southern bank of Elbe river, belonging to Hamburg at the border to "Altes Land". In the centre of the blue flag was a fish, nearly having the colour of smoked salmon, which is surrounded by a golden brownish wreath. White, unserifed initials are in the flag's corners as follows: "C" (upper hoist), "F" (upper fly), "D" (lower hoist) and finally "G" (lower fly).
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.7 , image no.22
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Cuxhavener Hochseefischerei Aktiengesellschaft

The company was located in Cuxhaven
Description of flag:
In the centre of the white flag was a red Hamburg castle having a white closed door.
Source: Lloyds 1912 ; p.47, flag no.228
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 May 2012

Deutsche Fischerei AG

The company was based in Wesermünde-Geestemünde and ran 9 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 2150 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland. It was a 9-stripes flag, divided by alternating, horizontal green and white stripes. In the white canton was a green initial "R ".
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.7 , image no.27
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Deutsche Seefischhandels AG

The company was based in Cuxhaven. It was a horizontal 6-stripes flag with alternating red and white stripes, the colours of Hamburg and thus of Cuxhaven. In a white canton was a black, serifed inscription "DS (1st line) AG (2nd line)".
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.152
Klaus-Michael Schneider,

N. Ebeling

The company was based in Bremerhaven and ran 13 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 3500 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland. The flag was a blue over white over red horizontal tricolour. In the middle of the white stripe was a lying, yellow 6-point star.
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.8 , image no.30
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Elingins

The company was based in Hamburg. The flag was blue with a white cod.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.22, image no.598
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019

Elsflether Hering Fischerei

The company was based in Elsfleth, located in Wesermarsch County near Oldenburg. The flag was blue with a white initial "E".
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.21, image no.559
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 July 2019

Emder Heringsfischerei AG

The company was based in Emden (Eastern Frisia). The flag was a black-white-red horizontal tricolour with canton being a black-red-gold horizontal tricolour. This flag was the same as the then German civil ensign.
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.14
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 July 2019

Erdmann Lefke

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider,

The small company was based in Wesermünde-Geestemünde and ran 3 fishing trawlers in 1933. The company operated in the North Sea and around Iceland. In the middle of the white flag was a dark blue (see left image above) or black (see right image above) initial "L" in a thin annulet of the same colour.
Sources: Lloyd 1933, p.12 , image no.71 and Massary 1928, series 1, image no.2
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Erste Deutsche Walfang Gesellschaft

Though it is known, that the company "Deutsche Walfang AG" was located in Wesermünde, no one knows exactly, when it was established. Some say, it was established in 1912 as "Deutsche Walfang-Gesellschaft Sturmvogel", which was located in Lüderitzbucht, then in German South West Africa, the nowadays Namibia.
In 1935 Henkel & Cie OHG, located in Düsseldorf, overtook the shares of the company from the cities of Bremerhaven and Wesermünde. The company was renamed into "Erste Deutsche Walfang-Gesellchaft(1st German Whaling Society/EDWG). The freighter "WÜRTTEMBERG" was modified by Blohm & Voss dockyard and renamed as "JAN WELLEM" in 1936. The vessel took part in whaling in the South Pole seas together with eight other company vessels between 1936 and 1939.
After WW2 all ships got lost and the company was not restarted. The know-how was given to Aristoteles Onassis, who had no experience in whaling. But he too gave up in 1954. EDWG was kept however as ship-management company for the vessels of Globus-Reederei and Meridian Reederei, which had been established by Henkel in 1951. In 1956 EDWG was dissolved and completely overtaken by Globus-Reederei.
Source: Klaus-Peter Bühne's webpage , translated by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Oct 2009
Description of flag:
The flag was divided by saltire into white and green. In each quarter were red capitals ""E""(top), "D"(hoist), "W"(fly) and "G"(bottom).
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.17, furthermore the original flag of the "JAN WELLEM" can be seen at Internationales Maritimes Museum, Koreastra?e 1 in Hamburg. I spotted that flag there on 24 September 2009.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Oct 2009

Flensburger Fischereiverein von 1872

The house flag of the shipping company Flensburger Fischereiverein von 1872 is blue, ca. 1/7 yellow at the hoist(?) and ca. 1/3 yellow circle with 3 abstract blue fish swimming flyward.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 27 Aug 2001

H. Fock Hochseefischerei

The company was based in Altona, today Hamburg, and ran 5 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 1250 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland. The white flag was divided by a green lozenge displaying a fish in natural colour.
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.9 , image no.37
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

Geestemünder Herings & Hochseefischerei

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "Geestemunder Herings & Hochseefischerei A.G." (#281, p. 50), a company based in Geestemünde, as blue  with a white "H" in the middle.

The port and town of Geestemünde was founded by the Kingdom of  Hannover in 1845, next to Bremerhaven. In 1927, Geestemünde was merged with Lehe and Wulsdorf to form the new municipality of Wesermünde. In 1939, Bremerhaven was separated from Bremen and incorporated to Wesermünde. Incorporated to the Federal State of Bremen in 1947, Wesermünde was eventually renamed Bremerhaven.
Ivan Sache, 12 Apr 2008

Grundmann & Gröschel

Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Grundmann & Gröschel, Geestemünde - white flag with Spanish fess; "G" in black in center. Geestemünde is part of Bremerhaven.
Jarig Bakker, 13 Dec 2004

The company was based in Wesermünde-Geestemünde and ran 13 fishing trawlers in 1933, having altogether a tonnage of 3750 GRT. The company operated in the North Sea, the White Sea and around Iceland.
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.9 , image no.41
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Mar 2014

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