Ensigns 1815-1934 (Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany)

Last modified: 2011-06-13 by german editorial team
Keywords: mecklenburg-schwerin | coat of arms (quartered) | customs | harbour | pilot | canton | pennant |
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• Introduction
• Flag 19th Century (reported 1820, 1842, 1848 and 1862)
• Civil Ensign 1855-1918 (Landesflagge zur See)
• State Ensign 1860's-1918 (possibly used only in inland waters 1893-1918) (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings / Dienstflagge für Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Staatsfahrzeuge und Staatsgebäude für Seeschiffahrt)
• State Ensign 1893-1921 (possibly used only in sea services) (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings / Dienstflagge für Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Staatsfahrzeuge und Staatsgebäude für Seeschiffahrt)
• State Ensign 1921-1935 (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings)
• State Ensign in Inland Waters 1921-1935 (Service Flag for State Vessels in Inland Waters)
• Customs Flag 1868-1895
• Customs Flag 1895-1918
• Harbour and Pilot Authorities' Ensign (Flagge der Mecklenburger Hafen und Letsenbehorde)
• Pennants
• Coat-of-Arms on the Ensign of the Post Steamer Obotrit 1850

See also:

• Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1815-1934 (Germany)
• Historical Flags (Mecklenburg, Germany)
• Germany

The flag of both Mecklenburg duchies is traditionally made up of the colours blue, yellow and red. (...) Mecklenburg-Schwerin however used white instead of yellow for flags on sea by law of 24 March 1855 (Ströhl 1897, p. 86).

Theo van der Zalm, 15 June 2001

Reported 1820, 1842, 1848 and 1862

by Jaume Ollé

Horizontal tricolor blue-white-red. In the white stripe at hoist a wreathed black oxhead.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

Variant

by Jaume Ollé

Variant shown in the Brommer Atlas.

Jaume Ollé, 19 June 1998

Landesflagge zur See

2:3
by Jorge Candeias
Flag adopted 24th March 1855, abolished 1918

Vertical tricolor blue-white-red. Mecklenburg (both duchies) Landesflagge at sea from 1855 until 1918.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

Znamierowski 1999 says that the former civil ensign of Mecklenburg was (horizontally) blue-white-red.

Santiago Dotor, 3 October 2000

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings /
Dienstflagge für Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Staatsfahrzeuge und Staatsgebäude für Seeschiffahrt

2:3
by Jaume Ollé

Horizontal tricolor blue-white-red with a white circular cut-out in the blue and red stripe. In the white central disk a yellow fouled anchor crowned with the Royal crown in gold. In the canton (with the height of the blue stripe a yellow square with a black Mecklenburg oxhead). In use from before 1871 until 1918.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

According to Mattern and Neubecker this is the Service flag for Domestic Waters of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, adopted 2 January 1900. Siegel 1912 pl. 26 marks it Mecklenburg-Staatsflagge.

Norman Martin, 28 September 2000

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings /
Dienstflagge für Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Staatsfahrzeuge und Staatsgebäude für Seeschiffahrt

2:3
by Jaume Ollé

Like the Prussian State Ensign for Sea Services 1895-1918, except the square canton is yellow with the oxhead of the state ensign 1860's-1918. Adopted 1893 and abandoned between 1918 and 1921. Illustrated in Crampton 1990 p. 42, Meyers Konversations-Lexikon 1912 vol. 4, National Geographic 1917 p. 367, nos. 999 and 1006 (?).

Norman Martin, January-February 1998

This was certainly only used by Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Norman Martin, 28 September 2000

How were both [15 and 17] used simultaneously — perhaps the first was for inland waters and the other for sea vessels, as happened with Prussia?

Santiago Dotor, 28 September 2000

Following Mattern and Neubecker, this would appear to be right. Note: According to Mattern and Neubecker, both of the Weimar period service flags for Mecklenburg-Schwerin were officially adopted in 1 July 1923, from which time, use of all the older flags were prohibited. Mattern and Neubecker also say that the situation for 1918-1923 has not yet been clarified.

Norman Martin, 28 September 2000

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings

2:3
by Jaume Ollé

The black-white-red flag with the Mecklenburg oxhead in the center (apparently slightly offset towards the hoist) with black-red-gold flag in the canton as in the Weimar merchant flag. Thus the national merchant flag with the oxhead. In use c.1926-1933.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

[Martin and Dreyhaupt 2000 shows the following] Mecklenburg-Schwerin Dienstflagge: black-white-red with black-red-yellow canton (with a narrow white fly border) with a white circle containing the oxhead.

Jaume Ollé, 24 January 2001

Service Flag for State Vessels in Inland Waters

3:5
by Jaume Ollé

Blue-white-red horizontal tricolor with circular cut-out as in the Imperial service flags (such as the State Ensign 1893-1921), in the circle a yellow fouled anchor and in the canton an oxhead as in the State Ensign 1893-1921. In use 1921-1935. Illustrated in Große Brockhaus 1928, vol. 4, p. 656.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

N.B. the top stripe of the canton should be black not blue
by Jaume Ollé

Flagge des Grossherzoglich Mecklenburgisch-Schwerinschen Zolldienstes 1868.

Jaume Ollé, 27 September 1998

This flag is illustrated in Neubecker 1939 with the German imperial flag in the canton (i.e. the top stripe of the canton should be black not blue) and labelled "1868-1895". The ratio appears to be 2:3 or 3:5 not 1:2.

Santiago Dotor, 28 September 2000

Neubecker 1939 shows this flag as the State Ensign 1893-1921 with red letters "Z" and "V" to the right and left of the anchor and labelled "1895-1918".

Santiago Dotor, 28 September 2000

Flagge der Mecklenburger Hafen und Letsenbehorde

2:3
by Jaume Ollé

by Jaume Ollé and Jorge Candeias

(Click on image to see full size detail)
by Jaume Ollé

by Jaume Ollé

N.B. the coat-of-arms is mirrored, compare with the grand duke's flag
by Jaume Ollé

Mittelstuck der Schiffsflagge des Mecklenburgischen Postdampfers "Obotrit" um 1850. Uncertain background colour.

Jaume Ollé, 27 September 1998