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House Flags of German Shipping Companies (a) - part 1

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (a) - Teil 1

3:5

image by António Martins-Tuválkin

Aagaard & Heitmann
Adler Linie
Adler-Schiffe
Afrika Linie
O. D. Ahlers
Ahlmann Schifffahrt
Erich Ahrens
AIDA Cruises
Alba Reederei
Deutsche AG "Albis"
Reederei Albrecht
Allgemeine Reederei GmbH
Alpha Reefer
O.F.Alsen & Sohn

See also:

Aagaard & Heitmann

image by , 22 Jun 2012 The red flag is divided by a black, centred, cotized cross. In the centre of flag is a white diamond fimbriated black containing a black inscription: "A & H". Source: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2012

Adler Linie

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Jun 2007

Adler Linie - One of the founders of the company was Sloman.The company was located in Hamburg. Facing accidents and economic problems, there had been negociations with Norddeutscher Lloyd in Bremen.
When Godeffroy claimed "vital Hamburgian interests" the company finally was overtaken by Hapag on 7 May 1875.
Description of flag: It is a white flag with a completely surrounding red edge. In its centre is a black eagle, sitting on a horizontal bar and facing the hoist.
Source: Arnold KLUDAS: "Die Geschichte der deutschen Passagierschiffahrt (5 vols.)" Hamburg 1986; Reprint Laibach Slovenia-Buch Nr. 03617-8, flagchart; p.223.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 June 2007

Adler-Schiffe

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Adler-Schiffe - The company was established in 1950, organizing tourist shipping from Nordstrand Island. The first ship had the name ADLER. Since then it is part of the name of all 28 ships of the company. Since 1975 the company in Hörnum/Sylt offered duty free service on its ships, the so called “butter cruising”, since 1985 Hallig cruising (a “Hallig” is a very small island, all of them are located off the Nordfriesland shore). In 1993 an express line was established, connecting the Islands of Nordstrand, Hallig Hooge, Amrum and Sylt.

In 1992 the company opened new branch lines in Mecklenburg-Westpomerania, based at the islands of Usedom and later (?) Rügen. Thus the cessation of “butter cruising” could be compensated for a while. When Poland entered the European Community in 2004, it was the end of duty free business. Since then the number of passengers went down to 50% and some of the ships had to be sold or chartered.
For further information click www.adler-schiffe.de.
Flag of Adler-Schiffe Kurt Paulsen: It is a yellow over red over blue horizontal tricolour (the colours of Nordfriesland). In its centre is a white diamond fimbriated black containing a red eagle, which is flanked by red capitals “K” and “P”.
Source: www.marcollect.de; maintained by Klaus-Peter Bühne.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Adler-Schiffe Sven Paulsen #1

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Flag of Adler-Schiffe Sven Paulsen #1: It is a yellow over red over blue horizontal tricolour (the colours of Nordfriesland). In its centre is a white diamond fimbriated black containing a red eagle, which is flanked by red capitals “S” and “P”.
Source: www.marcollect.de; maintained by Klaus-Peter Bühne.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Adler-Schiffe Sven Paulsen #2

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Flag of Adler-Schiffe Sven Paulsen #2: It is a yellow over red over blue horizontal tricolour (the colours of Nordfriesland). In its centre is a white diamond containing a red eagle, which is flanked by red capitals “S” and “P”.
Source: I spotted this flag on 20 December 2009 in Binz and Sellin (both Rügen Island).
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 May 2009

Afrika Linie

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 July 2012

The flag is divided per saltire into white and green. In the white quarters are black initials "A" (hoist) and "L" (fly).
Source: I spotted stick pins of both flags on 21 May 2012 at Brendler's shop. Brendler is a taylor. His specialities are navy uniforms and clothes for use in the tropics.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 July 2012

O. D. Ahlers

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019

The company was based in Bremen. The flag was red with a black serifed dotted inscription "O.D.A." in a white throughout lozenge.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.13, image no.120
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019

Ahlmann Schifffahrt

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Oct 2009 Ahlmann Schifffahrt GmbH & Co KG, formerly Ahlmann Carlshütte was the successor of Carlshütte(est. in 1827 in Büdelsdorf near Rendsburg) and was renamed in 1941. Carlshütte erected a dockyard at river Eider in 1847 and built own steamships. K?the Ahlmann became chairman in 1931 and changed the company into a KG in 1937. During WW2 the company's main business was producing wings made of aluminium for aeroplanes. After a break of only three days the company continued business after the end of WW2, new branches were added, among them of bath tubs, ceramics, kitchen tools and emaille works and an iron foundry.
In 1950 the logistics company Ahlmann Transport GmbH was established and in 1951 the shipping company Translanta GmbH, located in Rendsburg. In 1952 the company celebrated the 125 year anniversary. In 1958 the company ran eight vessels, some of them under the name of Translanta GmbH, some under the name of Ahlmann-Carlshütte KG (both had the same flag). In 1974 the company went into bankruptcy first time and was overtaken by Ulrich Harms, a shipping company located in Hamburg. In 1986 the last two ships had been sold and in 1994 the company was split up. In 1997 Carlshütte went into bankruptcy a second time. Ahlmann Schifffahrt GmbH & Co KG was continued and later merged with Zerssen & Co, forming the new company Ahlmann-Zerssen GmbH & Co KG.
Source: Klaus-Peter Bühne's webpage
Description of flag:
It was a blue flag with a red bordure fimbriated white. In the centre of the flag was a white shield showing three black waves and an above the waves an inscription of black capitals: "AHLMANN".
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.40
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Oct 2009

Erich Ahrens

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Aug 2019

The company was based in Rostock., had four freighters in 1933 and operated in the Bltic and in the North Sea. The flag was a horizontal 5-stipes flag black-white-red-white black with a centred black serifed "A" across the non-black stripes.
Sources: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.138 and Lloyd 1933,p.5, image no.1
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Aug 2019

AIDA Cruises

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Mar 2009
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider,

AIDA Cruises - It is a white flag with an inscription of coloured capitals "AIDA" (blue-red-yellow-green) and below in black slightly smaller "CRUISES". Variant shows also the "AIDA-Kiss", red lipps on a greyish lembowed line, symbolizing a prow.
Source: I spotted the flag at the baptism of "AIDA diva" on 20 April 2007 in Hamburg, the kiss variant on 7 May 2012.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Mar 2009

Alba Reederei

image by Jarig Bakker, 27 Aug 2006

Part of the Scherrieble Group, active in recycling, Alba Reederei GmbH & Co. KG is a German inland navigation company specialized in transporting bulk goods. Based at Mannheim, where the Neckar meets the Rhine, the firm was founded about forty years ago, operates a number of barges between 1100 and 1600 metric tonnes and owns a depot next to the River Neckar.

A red saltire defining two blue triangles (upper and lower) and two white ones (left and right), on the white triangles blue initials ‘A’ and ‘R’ respectively. The red saltire is fimbriated white where it otherwise would have touched the blue triangles.
See Michael Harms's site for a photo of the flag flying on the German vessel ‘Minerva’, select Gallery / Binnenschiffe / Frachtschiffe / M / Minerva (clickable).
Jan Mertens, 27 Aug 2006

Deutsche AG "Albis"

Flag reported 1897

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Apr 2012

It is a red flag. In the centre are four white "F"s forming an athletics' cross the same way like usual in German athletics clubs.
Source: "Gratis Beilage zu Deicken und Behrmann's Neuen Monatsheften Neue Ausgabe Sommer 1897"
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Apr 2012

Flag reported ca. 1898

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Jun 2012

The red flag had white initials "DF". Please note, that the company is mentioned as Dampfschiff AG "Albis" within prior chart (1897). The "F"s appearing on both flags perhaps indicate, that the owner's surname had that initial.
Source: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Jun 2012

Reederei Albrecht

image by Ivan Sache, 7 Sep 2008

"Reederei Albrecht" operates the paddle steamer CONCORDIA II on the river Harle between Carolinensiel and Harlesiel, Eastern Friesland, Lower Saxony. The CONCORDIA II is named after a ship of the same name that sailed on the Harle in the 1850s.

The house flag of "Reederei Albrecht", as shown as a graphic on the company website, is horizontally divided black-white-red with a white diamond outlined in black and charged with a black "A" in the middle.
Ivan Sache, 7 Sep 2008

Allgemeine Reederei GmbH

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 July 2019

The company was based in Hamburg. The flag was a red over blue horizontal bicolour with centred, white initials "AR" (in red stripe) and "G" (in blue stripe).
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.32
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 July 2019

Alpha Reefer

image by Jarig Bakker, 4 Dec 2005

Alpha Reefer Transport GmbH., Hamburg - white flag, 1,5 circle; the full circle containing a honeycomb structure, all blue.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 4 Dec 2005

I'm wondering if the honeycomb could be a stylized representation of a snowflake - after all the "Reefer" in the company name seems to ring of a refrigerated cargo ship. Any info?
Phil Nelson, 4 Dec 2005

(
editorial note "reefer vessel" is indeed a synonym of "refrigerator ship" / kms)

O.F.Alsen & Sohn

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Mar 2007
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Mar 2007

In 1863 Otto Friedrich Alsen founded the Alsen'sche Portland-Cement Fabrik. The company expanded very quickly and Alsen needed not only small ships for the transportation of cement but also bigger ones to get timber for the wooden cement-barrels from Norway. So he founded in 1868 the O.F.Alsen&Sohn shipping-company. The company used a white flag with black capital letters "OFA" in the centre(see left image above).
In 1884 the shipping-company was renamed to Reederei der Alsen'schen Portland-Cement Fabriken.
The last ship was sold in 1902 and finally got lost on 18 March 1910.
The shipping-company was dissolved then. The company used a yellow flag with a black capital "A" in the centre (see right image above).
(Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945, ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.132ff).
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Mar 2007

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