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House Flags of German Shipping Companies (k)

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J.C. & H.C. Kiehn

image by Jorge Candeias, 29 Dec 2004

The flag is a spanish fess of blue and white, with a large K at the center. The colour of the K isn't entirely clear, but some areas of colour around it lead me to suspect that it's supposed to be also blue, and not black. The caption reads something close to J C & H C Kluber.
Jorge Candeias, 9 Dec 2004

It must be J.C. & H.C. Kiehn, Hamburg - there's a trace of this firm here (see under 'War Rother'), ... but I've found no second picture of this particular flag.
Jan Mertens, 1 Jan 2005

Hermann Kimme

image by Jarig Bakker, 28 Jan 2005

Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Hermann Kimme, Bremen - red flag, white cross formy, black "HK".
Jarig Bakker, 28 Jan 2005

A. Kirsten

image by Jarig Bakker, 3 Jul 2004

This is a Hamburg based company 1899 - 1969. Triangular flag, divided vertically into 5 red and 4 white stripes. From Ships and the Sea, Talbot-Booth, c.1936.
David Prothero, 4 Sep 2000

A. Kirsten. I have traced the company originated by Adolf Kirsten from 1895 (shown by Griffin of that date) through Lloyds to at least 1980 and up until the mid 1970s they are also shown as Hamburg-London Linie A. Kirsten & Co., A. Kirsten & Co. and Rhein-See- Schiffahrtges.
A. Kirsten & Co. As far as I can make out they all used the same livery and the vessel names all ended in "a".
Neale Rosanoski, 3 Jan 2003

A. Kirsten, Hamburg - the flagchart of the Amsterdam harbour has the same flag for the "Amsterdam-Hamburg Linie", guess it's the same company
Jarig Bakker, 3 Jul 2004

Apparently Adolf Kirsten with Talbot-Booth stating that they were steamship owners from 1867 and they were still listed in Lloyds in 1980 before disappearing from the scene. Sources seem split as to whether the flag was a triangular rectangle or a proper pennant with the German sources plumping for the former. They also appear to have operated as the Hamburg-London Linie, formed 1928, with a different version of a similarly striped rectangular flag . After WW2 the latter seems to have become Hamburg-London Linie A. Kirsten A Co. but indications are that only the pennant version was then used, likewise for Rhein-See Schiffartsgesellshaft A. Kirsten & Co. K.G.
Neale Rosanoski, 13 Oct 2004

A. Kirsten flag

image provided by Neale Rosanoski, 13 Oct 2004

Klingenberg

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. Klingenberg's flag is: white with broken capitals: green A, and black K.
Santiago Dotor, 6 Nov 2003

Knöhr & Burchard Nfl

image by Jorge Candeias, 2 May 2004

Another of the images I have in my files is a photo of a page of a book, looking a few decades old, that is full of flags that apperently are german houseflags, since the page is labelled "Rhederein". The flags are mostly blue and white. This is one of them: a white flag with a blue disc more or less in the center.
Jorge Candeias, 2 May 2004

That is Knöhr & Burchard Nfl, Hamburg - Source "See und Seefahrt", by Gustav-Adolf Wolter, 1968.
Jarig Bakker, 2 May 2004

It's the flag of one of the oldest German shipping companies: Knoehr & Burchard Nfl. GmbH, Hamburg. This company was founded in 1814 and still exists in Hamburg. They sent me an original tableflag some years ago. I could'nt find a homepage but they are in the Yellow Pages.
Jörg M. Karaschewski, 2 May 2004

Knudsen & Jordan

image by Jarig Bakker, 13 Nov 2003

Here is the website of Knudsen & Jordan GmbH - houseflag: white with a narrow flydiahonal line; at hoist blue K, at hoist blue J.
Dov Gutterman, 2 Nov 2003

Köhn & Bohlmann

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Sep 2005

Köhn & Bohlmann Reederei K.G., Hamburg - red over white flag; in center black "K&B".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 21 Sep 2005

Komrowski Shipping

image by Jarig Bakker, 13 Nov 2003

Here is the website of Komrowski Shipping - houseflag: diagonally divided, top and bottom blue, hoist and fly red; in the center a white diamond.
Dov Gutterman, 2 Nov 2003

Robert Köppen

image by Jorge Candeias, 3 Dec 2004

Here's another flag that is totally clear in all its details, but not so in what concerns its caption. The flag is quite basic: white with black seriffed initials "R.K." along
the center. The caption seems to me to read something close to Rob Koppen, but I'm not sure of either word, despite the initials being quite obvious.
Jorge Candeias, 3 Dec 2004

It's 'Robert Köppen, Stettin' under No. 610 of the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels.
Jan Mertens, 3 Dec 2004

Kosmos Linie

image by Jorge Candeias, 7 Dec 2004

Ah! Here's, finally, a great flag! It's good in itself: a red and white vertical bicolour with a blue disc centered, surrounded by 6 blue 5-pointed stars, arranged in two partial arc on both sides of the disc. But it's also good because the caption is completely clear: it reads "Kosmos Linie".
Jorge Candeias, 7 Dec 2004

The stars are indeed blue. See the 1907 painting (with very small flag), but especially the pdf file (house flag chart, 1902). Pity, they show six-pointed stars. Five-pointed stars again under No. 182 of the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels, i.e. 'Deutsche Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft "Kosmos", Hamburg'.
So this has to be resolved, but I'd rather believe in Jorge's version.
A question remains... and perhaps our German list members can help here... is there a 'cosmological' intent behind the flag design?
Jan Mertens, 8 Dec 2004

G. Krassenhoft, Hamburg

image by Ivan Sache, 1 Feb 2004

Following the link found by Joe Mc Millan - The Mystic Seaport Foundation, we can reach the 1911 Lloyd's flagbook, whose full title is (after the scan of the cover): 'Lloyd's book of house flags and funnels of the principal steamship lines of the world and the house flags of various lines of sailing vessels', published at Lloyd's Royal Exchange. London. E.C.
On p. 134, we have: #2046. G. Krassenhoft, Hamburg. The flag is white with a blue saltire, charged in the middle with a red K in a blue ring.
Ivan Sache, 1 Feb 2004

Krey Schiffahrts GmbH

image by Jarig Bakker, 13 Nov 2003

Here is the website of Krey Schiffahrts GmbH - houseflag: horizontal black - red - blue with a white (what?) charged with black KS.
The Krey Schiffahrts GmbH, was founded by Mr. Georg Krey in the beginning of 1990 in Leer / Ostfriesland, The Company is presently managing a total number of 11 seagoing vessels in the worldwide trade with a number of 12 employees. The fleet does consist of Bulker Units between 3.000 and 12.000 tdw (geared and gearless), Containervessels up to 510 TEU, Tweendecker and Heavy Lift vessels with up to 2 x 120 to gear.

Recently last year, Krey Schiffahrts GmbH separated from Phoenix Reederei GmbH, a company which was partly owned by Mr. Krey. Krey Schiffahrts GmbH is now situated in a separate office also located in Leer, Germany. Krey Schiffahrts GmbH and Phoenix Reederei GmbH have managed in the past a number of 40 vessels in total with a number of around 40 employees.

The last 15 years, Krey Schiffahrts GmbH has projected, contracted and built a number of about 40 newbuildings at Shipyards in Turkey, China, Spain, Slovakia, Poland and the Netherlands. Further Newbuildings (12.000 tdw MPC Vessels) are contracted with deliveries starting in 2006.
Dov Gutterman, 2 Nov 2003

Krupp, Essen

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Jan 2005

Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
F. Krupp, Essen, triband RWR, proportioned c. 1:5:1; on white three intertwined black circles. This is of course the big steel firm.
Jarig Bakker, 21 Jan 2005