^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

House Flags of German Shipping Companies (h)

Other "H"-companies:

Hamburg - Amerika Linie
Hamburg Süd
Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft: see Columbus Line / HSDG
Hansa
Hapag-Lloyd AG
Horn Linie

See also:

J. Hagen

image by Jorge Candeias, 8 Jan 2005

The flag is blue with a white lozenge that touches the edges and a red initial "H" in the center. And the caption is sheer clarity: J. Hagen.
Jorge Candeias, 8 Jan 2005

Hamburg-Bremen Afrika Linie

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Jan 2005

Hamburg-Bremen Afrika Linie, Bremen; white flag, black key; in corners red "HBAL".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 21 Jan 2005

Haniel Reederei

I'm sure the Haniel house flag has already been presented to the list. Bad news however in this source from 2000, announcing the formal end of this old firm for 2004: "Haniel, a Duisburg firm existing since 1756, has been taken over by the South African company Imperial Holding Ltd. By 2004, the black - white - green house flag will no longer be seen on the Rhine. On this site we learn that the Haniel Reederei GmbH was founded in 1972 and taken over 2000/2003 by Imperial Logistics International. New name since 1 June 2003: Imperial Reederei-Gruppe.
Jan Mertens, 22 Nov 2003

I have two questions:
- The company's flag is green-white-black. Sometimes the flag had a cock in the middle which is a wrong allusion to the German word "Hahn" (cock). Since when is this flag in use?
- Since when is it usual that shipping companies have their own house flags?
Daniela Stemmer, 25 Oct 2004

Sources The US Navy 1961, Flaggen der Binnenschiffahrt of 1973 and Unvergessene Dampfschiffahrt auf Rhein und Donau by Walter Michels in 1967 are the only records I have of a flag for Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH and all show a plain tricolour of green over white over black with the last mentioned having a photo of the "Franz Haniel XXIII" c.1913 flying a plain triband of this design but as it is black and white one can only assume that is the company flag flying from the foremast and there is another one at the rear of the wheelhouse which is probably the normal ensign. Hand written by the owner of US Navy are the comments that it was used for barges only with seagoing vessels using the flag of Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiff-Rhederei GmbH & Co. K.G. who managed such vessels going by Lloyds.

The barges seem to have ceased in the late 1960s, they show in Lloyds 1966-7 but my next one is 1970-1, when they are shown as operating one of their seagoing vessels, "Tazacorte" with the rest still under O-P, but by 1973-4 this ship does not show and the rest are still under O-P, still showing the same in 1980-1 but by 1985-6 Haniel no longer appears in Lloyds.

I assume from Michel's book that the flag dates well back, 1756 seems to be the formation date, but as my German is very basic I could be getting that wrong.

As far as when companies can have houseflags the answer is whenever they want them. Some small one ship companies have had quite eleborate designs even though they have quickly faded from the scene whilst other larger firms have never bothered. So there is no hard and fast rule. It all comes down to a means of identification and these days, advertising. The identification is the main thing being done mainly by the flag or the funnel. In this case the Haniel Elbe vessels seem to all have had plain black funnels so that just left the flag. As for how long it was used, I would guess that "Tazacorte" was the last vessel to fly it but thereafter depends on what happened to the company. From your message it sounds like she is still an employee so that would mean they now have other interests.
Neale Rosanoski, 27 Oct 2004

Hanse Bereederung

image by Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Dov Gutterman spotted the link of HANSE Bereederung - Blue - white disk, red H.
Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Hanseatic (Bremen)

image by Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Dov Gutterman spotted the link of Hanseatic (Bremen) - Red - white disk, outlined H.
Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Hanseatic Shipping

image by Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Dov Gutterman spotted the link of Hanseatic Shipping & Chartering GmbH - Horizontal Red - White - Blue, reversed at the hoist; in center outlined blue oval, blue "HSC".
Santiago Dotor, 11 Nov 2003

Hanseatische Dampf Gesellschaft

image by Jarig Bakker, 14 Dec 2004

Hanseatische Dampf Gesellschaft, Lübeck - red flag; white letters "H.D.G".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 14 Dec 2004

Hanseatischer Afrika-Dienst

image by Jarig Bakker, 13 Nov 2003

I found a companion to the Glahr-houseflag with reversed colors in "See und Seefahrt", by G.A. Wolter, 1968 - Hanseatischer Afrika-Dienst.
Dov Gutterman, 2 Nov 2003

A. Hansen

image by Jarig Bakker, 17 Feb 2005

A. Hansen, Flensburg - blue flag, white "A.H.".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 17 Feb 2005

Hartmann Reederei

image by Jorge Candeias, 2 Mar 1999

White with a greyish blue lowercase 'h', in italics, shifted to the fly. The lower 'leg' of the 'h' stretches to the hoist creating a relatively narrow stripe over which are two other stripes in dark red and black.
Jorge Candeias, 2 Mar 1999

Hartmann Reederei. This refers to what is now Hartmann Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. K.G. which dates from 1981, originally as Alfred Hartmann.
Neale Rosanoski, 18 Oct 2004

Albert Hauschild

image by Jarig Bakker, 6 Nov 2003

Dov Gutterman reported the link of Albert Hauschild (GmbH & Co.), which contains the houseflag of said firm, as well as the rather similar flag of Klingenberg Bereederungs- und Befrachtungs OHG. Hauschild's flag is: white with broken capitals: green A, and black H.
Santiago Dotor, 6 Nov 2003

H.W. Heidmann

image by Jorge Candeias, 3 Dec 2004

The flag is simple and clear: a white cloth with two black "H" that share a common leg. But the caption is a nightmare. Speculating a lot, I could say it's something like "H. W. Hremans". Let's hope it pops up in some other source.
Jorge Candeias, 3 Dec 2004

It's No. 588 in the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels: 'H.W. Heidmann, Hamburg'.
Jan Mertens, 4 Dec 2004

Helmsing & Grimm

image by Jarig Bakker, 30 Sep 2005

Helmsing & Grimm G.m.b.H. & Co., Hamburg; white burgee, blue disk.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 30 Sep 2005

Wilhelm Hemsoth

image by Jarig Bakker, 7 Feb 2005

Wilhelm Hemsoth, Hamburg - white flag, tapered blue saltire, in center yellow disk with two black hammers in saltire; in white top and bottom black "WH".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 7 Feb 2005

Reederei Hiddensee

image by Al Fisher

Blue flag with a wide red stripe, fimbriated white, from bottom hoist to top fly, bearing a white anchor. On the top hoist a white letter 'R', on the bottom fly a white letter 'H'.
Santiago Dotor, 17 May 2005

Holm & Molzen

image by Jarig Bakker, 7 Feb 2005

Holm & Molzen, Flensburg - blue flag, white 7-pointed star
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 7 Feb 2005