Last modified: 2016-03-21 by rob raeside
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Admiral Line, Tacoma (1910-38)
From 1920 to 1938, Admiral Line was the largest company in the coastwise trade
on the US Pacific Coast. It also conducted a trans-Pacific service from
1917-1922. Admiral Line was a trade name given by Hubbard F. Alexander to
various steamship companies he owned and operated out of Tacoma. The Admiral
Line flag was based on that of the rival
Pacific Coast SS Co, which Alexander bought and merged into the Admiral Line
in 1916. To the Pacific Coast SS Co's red cross on a white lozenge, Alexander
added an admiral's four white stars on a blue field.
Sources: Wedge (1926),
National Geographic (1934)
Joe McMillan, 19 August 2001
According to Talbot-Booth (1936) the 1916
merger produced the company Pacific Steamship Co., reorganized 1933 as
Pacific Steamship Lines Ltd., which
was known as the Admiral Line. Sources generally noted it under both the Pacific
and Admiral names although Talbot-Booth usually used the official title and his
flag portrayals show a much narrower cross paty, indeed looking more like a
cross couped.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 January 2004
Admiral Towing and Barge Company (part of the
Great Lakes Group) - blue-red-blue horizontal (1:2:1) charged with four stars in
the shape of a diamond on the red stripe. Based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Source:
http://www.thegreatlakesgroup.com/admiral.htm
Dov Gutterman, 11 October 2003
image by Clay Moss, 8 August 2007
Alaska Department of Transportation, Juneau. Loughran (1995)
shows a slightly different flag with only
7 stars.
Jarig Bakker, 6 January 2006
A press release from the Alaska Governor's office suggests that vessels of the
Alaska Marine Highway operated by the Alaska Dept. of Transportation fly the
regular state flag-
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/comm/pressbox/arch_2005/PR_Flags_halfmast_for_Reed.shtml:
"Governor Frank H. Murkowski has authorized the Alaska Marine Highway System to
fly the state flag at half-mast on all ferries, at the AMHS headquarters
building in Ketchikan, and at DOT&PF headquarters in Juneau on Sunday, December
11 in memory of Capt. Tom Reed. Flags should be lowered on Sunday morning, and
returned to full staff by Monday morning."
Ned Smith, 8 January 2006
Alaska Department of Transportation. Ned would seem to be correct in suggesting
that the ferries fly the Alaskan State Flag though I have not managed to find a
photo yet which clearly confirms this. However, Brown shows the same design as
the funnel mark and this certainly does not apply, these days anyway. Ship
photos show exactly the same as appears on the State Flag and I doubt very much
if funnel and flag would disagree.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 September 2009
Alaska Pacific Steamship Co., Seattle
Flag blue with a white anchor bendwise sinister on a red shield.
Source: Lloyds 1912)
Joe McMillan, 23 September 2001
image by John Inman, 3 January 2013
The flag is swallowtail with a white border top bottom and hoist, and a white X
-- the left triangle is blue with a White "A"; the top and bottom triangles are
red.
John Inman, 3 January 2013
Some older sources show this flag in a different colour scheme:
Alaska Packers Association (Source: [ruh09])
Swallowtail with a blue border and diagonal stripes dividing the field into a
black hoist and red upper and lower triangles, with a white "A" in the hoist
triangle. Talbot-Booth (1937) shows this without the letter A.
Source: 1909 update to Flaggenbuch 1905
Joe McMillan, 23 September 2001
image located by Neale Rosanoski
Other sources vary the basic design in that the two red triangles are divided
by strips of the field so that with the black triangle in the hoist there are
three triangles all bordered by equal widths of blue.
Talbot-Booth (1936) is the only one
found that does not show the "A" on the black triangle and he does make the
comment in his Merchant Ships series that some vessels did show a white "A" on
the black of the flag appearing on the white funnel band but he makes no such
comment in respect of the actual flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 January 2004
Alaska SS Co (1895-1970), Seattle
Principal line within Alaska and between Alaska and rest of US west coast.
Subsidiary of Guggenheim copper conglomerate after 1907.
Flag red with a white-bordered black disk bearing a white letter "A."
Sources: Wedge (1926),
National Geographic (1934),
US Navy's 1961 H.O.,
Stewart & Styring (1963)
Joe McMillan, 19 August 2001
For the history of the company and its connection with Black Star Line, Puget Sound Navigation Co., Inland Navigation Co. and Black Ball Transport Inc., I suggest reference to http://www.tacomascene.com/kalakala/black_ball_line/black_ball_line.html as being a reasonably correct and with plenty of images. I have come across foundation dates varying between 1883 and 1885 with the likely answer being that it was formed in 12/1884 and began operations 1885, ceasing operations 1/1971. Charles Peabody was involved in the formation of the company and subsequently became the leading light. According to the above website he was a descendant of one of the founders of the Black Ball Line of New York and was responsible for the adoption of a rectangular version of this i.e. red with a black ball, at the commencement of operations. This version [see this image] is shown by Lloyds 1904. Again from this source, use of the flag ceased in 1909 [again there is this small discrepancy in dates this time with 1905 and 1907 also given for the takeover but perhaps this did not initially affect the flag] with the Guggenheim/Morgan syndicate takeover. According to "US Passenger Liners since 1945" this first flag was designed by Peabody in 1909 after the takeover and merger with Northwestern Steamship Co. [date again iffy as 31.12.1907 also given by "American Passenger Ships"] but this is obviously incorrect seeing that it is shown by Lloyds 1904. They then state that after Peabody resigned [1912 I believe] the flag was changed to that shown by Joe with the addition of the white rim and letter "A". My guess is that the above website is correct as the new version appeared in Lloyds 1912 which would seem to be too soon for a change that year. After its use stopped [1909?] it was restored to use in 1928 when Alexander Peabody, son of Charles, who had taken over the subsidiary Puget Sound Navigation Co., started flying it.
image by Eugene Ipavec, 22 November 2009
Another misleading flag would appear to be shown by
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/alaska.htm which shows the correct
version as per Joe but also another version with the letter but without the
white rim and by the fact that it is shown first I presume they are indicating
that it was the first version. Perhaps they have been mislead by images such as
the cap badge appearing in Unidentified Flags or
Ensigns (2007) "Five Badges with flags" where the edging is not clear.
As for the company ownership "American Passenger Ships" has it taken over
1915 by Kennecott Copper Co. and then in 1944 control passed to the Skinner &
Eddy Corporation of Seattle.
Neale Rosanoski, 13 October 2009
Alaska Transportation Co.
Flag per saltire, white in the hoist and fly, red at the top and blue at the
bottom, with the company initials in black across the center.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels (1951
edition).
Joe McMillan, 28 September 2001
There may have been a previous flag. Talbot-Booth (1937)
in his WW2 Merchant Ships books shows a panel on the funnel comprising the
quarters as shown but with the black letters being shown as " A" on the hoist
white, "T" on the fly white and "Co" (with the "o" raised halfway) on the bottom
blue. This funnel is completely different to that shown by Brown. An article in
Marine News 5/1998 notes them as a freight company, formed 1935, trying to enter
the Seattle-Alaska passenger tourist trade and buying the "George Washington" in
1948 making their first trip in May but by August the ship was laid up on
account of labour problems and was subsequently sold. Shipping would thus appear
to have been only a part time activity.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 January 2004
Alcoa SS Co, Pittsburgh (1917-present)
Because of shipping shortages in World War I, Alcoa (formerly the Aluminum
Company of America) developed its own shipping line to carry bauxite from its
source in what is now Suriname and
Guyana to aluminum mills in the United States
and elsewhere. At first the line operated under foreign flags. From 1940 to 1969
it operated under the US flag and since then has shifted to flags of
convenience. Alcoa Steamship Co appears in the 2001 Lloyd's Maritime Directory
as the owner of five Liberian-flagged bulk ore carriers.
The flag before the 1970s was white with three red horizontal stripes, on the
center a blue disk with a white cross between four white stars.
Source:
US Navy's 1961 H.O.
Subsequently, the line flew a flag bearing the company's new logo, a stylized
"A" of red and white triangles on a blue field.
Source: Styring (1971)
Joe McMillan, 19 August 2001
According to Brown 1995 the later flag was amended with the panel becoming
smaller and being placed towards the top with the black legend "ALCOA" placed
underneath.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 January 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 21 February 2006
Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc., Pittsburgh PA - white flag, the firm's logo above
"ALCOA" in black.
Source:
Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 21 February 2006
I have no information on this company other than the flag, blue with a white
ring bordered in red and inscribed with the company name.
Source:
US Navy's 1961 H.O.
Joe McMillan, 20 August 2001
A webpage on the history of Guantanamo Bay Naval Station at
www.gtmo.net/gazz/HISCHP9.HTM
says:
"The Central and South American Cable Company changed its name to All America Cables, Incorporated, on 15 February 1920. On 22 August 1938, it was changed to its present name: All America Cables and Radio, Incorporated. "There is an All America Cables and Radio corporation headquartered in the Dominican Republic. See its website at www.aacr.net/
image by Jarig Bakker, 17 September 2005
Allied Towing Corp., Norfolk, VA. - white flag, green steering wheel with an
"A".
Source:
Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 17 September 2005
Alsop & Co., New York
The family of the journalist brothers Stuart and Joseph Alsop. The firm
achieved a certain notoriety in 1851 when the first mate of its China
clipper "Challenge" allegedly beat several crewmen to death en route to San
Francisco; the master, Robert Waterman, helped the mate to escape before the
California authorities could bring him to trial, leading to a wave of mob
violence that lasted several days. The flag is parted vertically, blue and
red, with a white lozenge overall, similar to the
Free French naval jack
without the cross of Lorraine.
Source: chart of "Private Signals of the Merchants of New York"
Joe McMillan, 4 September 2001
US shipping lines house flags - 'A' continued