Wilhelmsburger RC (German rowing club)

Last modified: 2026-05-23 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: wilhelmsburger rc | wilhelmsburger mrc | pirat rc(hh) | stradella rc | norderelbe hrv | adler vrc |
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• Wilhelmsburger RC 1895
• Brief History
• Flags of the Wilhelmsburger RC 1895 and its Predecessors
• Flag of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895
• Blade of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895
• Erroneous Flags of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895
• Flag of Wilhelmburger Männer RC
• Flag of RC Pirat
• Flag of RC Stradella
• Flag of HRV Norderelbe
• Flag of Veddeler RC Adler

• Germany
• Rowing Clubs in Germany
• List of German Rowing Clubs

Wilhelmsburger RC 1895

Name: Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.
Located in: Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg
Established: 3 March 1895 as Willemsborg Mannslüud Roer Clob

Brief History

The club was established in 1895 as "Willemsborg Mannslüud Roer Clob" (lower German).and renamed to "Wilhelmsbuger Männer Ruder Club" (WMRC) around 1900. For Juniors being younger than 25 the "Ruder-Club "Pfeil" (RCP)" was established also in 1895 but annexed to the WMRC shortly after.
The club had been one of the co-founders of Norddeutscher Rudererbund (NRB), which was established as an umbrella organisation of rowing labourers.
On 15 May 1897 the "Ruder-Club "Pirat" von 1897 e.V." was established and only a few days later, on 27 May 1897 the "Ruder-Club "Stradella"e.V.". Being badly hit by the great Hamburg flood in 1962 the latter joined the WRC on 25 January 1963.
In 1898 the Ruderclub Victoria was established. After having acquired a flag charged with an eagle (German: Adler) the club was renamed to "Veddeler Ruder Club "Adler" von 1898" the same year. About that flag no details are known.
Finally in 1906 the Ruderclub Freibeuter was established. There is no information available about its flag.
As rowing for women became more and more popular, the WMRC changed its name to "Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V. (WRC)" on 27 January 1957. Since then also women could gain a membership. The club became a member of DRV in 1960.
In 1953 the Ruderclub Freibeuter joined the "Veddeler Ruder Club "Adler"".
On 14 February 1965 the "Ruder-Club "Pirat" von 1897 e.V." and the "Veddeler-Ruder-Club "Adler" von 1898" merged forming the new club "Hamburger Ruder-Vereinigung "Norderelbe"" von 1897 e.V., in 1972 the city of Hamburg quit the lease of the club#s boat-house. As the city was not able to offer the club a new real estate, the members finally joined the WRC in 1978.
Source: "125 Jahre Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.", pp.66-68, a publication about the club´s anniversary.
For further information click:club webpage.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2006 / 18 May 2026

Flags of the Wilhelmsburger RC 1895 and its Predecessors

Flag of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895

After the merger with Ruder-Club Stradella in 1963 the flag had been quartered of blue and yellow with a white anchor in bend on the upper hoist quarter. WRC had been the 1st German club having a flag in its city colours. The colours of Wilhelmsburg had been blue, white and yellow.
Source: "125 Jahre Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.", title
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

Blade of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895

The blade is horizontally divided into blue over white over yellow. The colours of the flag are those from flag of former city of Wilhelmsburg, which was incorporated to Hamburg in 1937.
Source: own photo 2006
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Dec 2008

Erroneous Flags of Wilhelmsburger RC 1895

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2006

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2006

According to RA04 it was a quarterly divided blue and yellow flag with a yellow anchor in bend in the upper hoist (see left image above), according to RA77 it was a quarterly divided green and white flag with a white anchor in bend in the upper hoist (see rigt image above). The colours are at least partly erroneous in both publications.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 May 2006

Flag of Wilhelmburger Männer RC

Until 1963 the flag of Wilhelmburger Ruder-Club von 1895 was quartered of black and white with a white anchor in bend on the upper hoist quarter. That had been also the flag of Wilhelmburger Männer Ruder-Club before.
Source: "125 Jahre Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.", p.79
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

Flag of RC Pirat

The flag was quartered of red and white (and thus the same flag as that one of RC Vorwärts, today RC Süderelbe).
Source: "125 Jahre Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.", pp.71,72
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

Flag of RC Stradella

The flag was red parted by a slightly bendy white stripe
Sources: "125 Jahre Wilhelmsburger Ruder-Club von 1895 e.V.", p.68 and this webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

Flag of HRV Norderelbe

The colours had been blue-white-red. As quartered flags had been fairly common in southern Hamburg, the flag probably was quartered of blue (upper hoist), red (lower fly) and white (others). But this not more than an educated speculation. It should be mentioned that the club was listed in RA77 but without any flag image.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

Flag of Veddeler RC Adler

There is a B/W photo of the boat house of the club displaying a painted flag of the club in dark colour with white edge all around, a black anchor in centre and black letters "V." (upper hoist), "R." (upper fly), "C." (lower hoist) and "A." (lower fly). As the flag of Ruder-Club Stradella had been red and white and the colours of the successor had been red-white-blue. We may conclude that the dark colour on photo had been blue.
Source: this webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

back to Hamburg Rowing Clubs main page click here.