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Broedertrouw (The Netherlands)

Sleepdienst Broedertrouw B.V. v/h Firma C. den Boer & Zonen

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Mar 2006, after image on this site.

Broedertrouw houseflag
Broedertrouw burgee

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Broedertrouw houseflag

To use the long name, ‘Sleepdienst Broedertrouw B.V. v/h Firma C. den Boer & Zonen’ at Zwijndrecht (Towage Service Broedertrouw Ltd formerly Co. C. den Boer & Sons) is featured in “Duwvaart” by Jansen & Van Heck on p. 24.
‘Broedertrouw’ was in fact the first vessel of about twenty, two of which were eventually transformed into push and towboats which is why the company is mentioned by these authors.
As mentioned in a recent post concerning Van der Wees, this firm has a link with Broedertrouw (not available in the English section). A few highlights gleaned from this history page:
‘Broedertrouw’, a word expressing loyalty to kin and the name of the first steam tug operated by Cornelis den Boer, expressed gratitude for money loaned by family members. First active in towing away becalmed sailing ships, Den Boer soon specialized in intense towing work for barge operators, wharfs, scrapyards, shipping companies, etc.
Still a family business, the firm expanded after WWII, replacing steam vessels by motorized ones. Reconstruction and the world-famous Delta Works (basically, sheltering SW Netherlands from the sea thanks to extensive construction) caused a growing demand for the services Broedertrouw could offer. This included transport of heavy and voluminous goods, such as bridge sections, on pontoons.
Reconversion after the conclusion of the Delta Works around 1985 led to the introduction of push navigation. In 1992 Van der Wees at Dordrecht, a company Broedertrouw had often cooperated with, took over the shares and allowed a certain autonomy lasting to the end of 2002. In this way almost a century of towage service came to an end.
A modest pennant shown in b/w and described by Jansen & Van Heck, the houseflag was horizontally divided red above blue with a white initial ‘B’ (recalling both Den Boer and Broedertrouw) near the hoist. A simple flag in the national colours.
See it on the historical – and clickable – b/w photos 3 and 6 on the aforementioned Van der Wees history page (at the end) and also, for instance, on the second photo here.
Jan Mertens, 3 Mar 2006

Broedertrouw burgee

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Mar 2006, after image on this site.