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

House Flags of German Shipping Companies (s)

Other "S" companies:

See also:

Sartori & Berger

image by Jorge Candeias, 22 Dec 2004

The flag itself is a red saltire on white with the initials S and B on the hoist and fly quarters, respectively, a & centered and a date in the bottom quarter, all in black characters. All is clear except the secong algarism of the date, which is smaller than the other three (1, 7 and 3). It seems to me to be a 7, and I GIFfed it that way, but I'm not sure. The caption reads something similar to "Sartory & Berger".
Jorge Candeias, 22 Dec 2004

It is "Sartori & Berger" - this is interesting, as Brown's 1926 edition has just 1-77 at the bottom - home: Hamburg; Brown (1951) and Wolter (1968) have a bare bottom - home: Kiel. Loughran (1979) explains: "What made the houseflag unusual was that below the saltire, a number was included. This was different for each vessel, and denoted the ship's sequence of inclusion in the fleet. (he shows an example with just "51" in the bottom). The custom was discontinued in 1929, when some 77 ships had thus been enumerated."
In view of Jorge's image and the image in [wed26] I have grave doubts about Loughran's use of the number of 51, as he has also Kiel as its homeport, which should have been Hamburg; only later it moved to Kiel (or as Loughran likes to misspell it: "Keil").
Jarig Bakker, 22 Dec 2004

Hum... then I suppose that the smaller 7 I mentioned is in fact simply a "-"? That is: the number sould be "1-73"?
Jorge Candeias, 23 Dec 2004

I think you giffed it correctly - the little "7" is clearly visible on the .jpg file. I checkedthe online Lloyd's 1912 register, which has also 1-77 in the bottom (see p. 66) - it's the little difference which makes it interesting!
Jarig Bakker, 23 Dec 2004

Satrans

image by Jorge Candeias, 12 Mar 1999

Satrans Speditionsgesellschaft mbH - Basically an orange-light green-orange horizontal triband. A blue stripe covers the orange stripes in the lower hoist and upper fly, creating an 'S' in the center.
Jorge Candeias, 12 Mar 1999

Sauber Gebr.

image by Jorge Candeias, 30 Nov 2004

This one is another flag that is pretty clear in all its details. The flag itself is white with a red cross and a blue S over all. And the caption reads "Sauber Gabr." I have some doubts about the Gabr., but none about the Sauber.
Jorge Candeias, 30 Nov 2004

A Sauber Gebr. firm of Hamburg is mentioned in a thread on Norwegian ships sunk in WWI, which appeared on a Norwegian Merchant Fleet forum.
Ned Smith, 1 Dec 2004

And a neat flag it is ('sauber' means 'clean') - see on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels, under No. 1091 'Sauber Gebr., Hamburg'.
Jan Mertens, 2 Dec 2004

H. & R. Schepers

image by Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2005

Reederei H. & R. Schepers G.m.b.H., Elsfleth - red octagonal on white, black "S".
Elsfleth is a bit north of Bremen, along the Weser river.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2005

Schlüssel Reederei

image by Jarig Bakker, 11 Sep 2005

Schlüssel Reederei K.G., Bremen - triband NWN; in center on white red shield charged with a white contour line and a white key. "Schlüssel" = key.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 11 Sep 2005

Schrader & Wrede

image by Jorge Candeias, 16 Dec 2004

The flag is a simple blue cross on white. The caption consists of two words, apparently started by an S and a W. The rest is complete guesswork: Schrabre Wrede?!
Jorge Candeias, 16 Dec 2004

Must be Schrader & Wrede (Hamburg), a tugboat operator. All I could find was this page, charting the career of a tugboat which once (1901-1918) belonged to
this company.
Jan Mertens, 17 Dec 2004

E.C. Schramm & Co.

image by Jorge Candeias, 24 Dec 2004

The flag is pretty simple: quartered per saltire of white and blue. But the caption... it seems to have two initials in the start, the first being an E or, less probably, an L, and the second being a C. Then, there's a long word that begins with and S... Schrasbet?! Finally, the thing seems to end with a "& Co.".
Jorge Candeias, 24 Dec 2004

That is "E.C. Schramm & Co., Bremen".
Jarig Bakker, 24 Dec 2004

Richard Schröder

image by Jarig Bakker, 30 Dec 2004

#45 Reederei Richard Schröder, Hamburg - flag per saltire blue and white; at hoist and fly red "RS".
From Scott, R.M., The Caltex book of Flags and Funnels, Capetown, Caltex Africa Ltd. (1959).
Jarig Bakker, 30 Dec 2004

Heinrich Schuldt

image by Jorge Candeias, 3 May 2004

Reeder Heinrich Schuldt - The house flag of the shipping company Reeder Heinrich Schuldt, as shown on paintings in the Flensburger Schiffahrtsmuseum, is blue, white triangle with red 'S'.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 27 Aug 2001

Founded 1868 in Flensburg, now in Hamburg. All ships with "burg" at the end. Source: Wolter's See und Seefahrt, 1968.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Jul 2004

Reeder Heinrich Schuldt. The company originated in 1868 so Heinrich may well have been the founder. Thereafter sources show it as H. Schuldt with Talbot-Booth giving the "H" for Harald. Like many others they seem to have managed or operated through other companies, in this case Flensburger Co. and Ozean Dampfer Co. who were amalgamated in 1936 and their title added to Schuldt to produce Flensburger Dampfercompagnie Harald Schuldt & Co. which Talbot-Booth describes as the addition of a "subsidiary title" until 1938 when it presumably became a proper company through which Schuldt operated. Thus the early flag sources show the described flag under these various names plus after WW2 Fruchtreederei Harald Schuldt & Co. In 2002 the company and its subsidiary Engineering Consulting & Management GmbH & Co. amalgamated into Norddeutsche Reederei H. Schuldt GmbH & Co. K.G. although the company website continues to show them operating as H. Schuldt OHG (GmbH) & Co. and still using the flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 25 Oct 2004

A.H. Schwedersky

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 Jan 2005

A.H. Schwedersky, Memel - white flag, blue cross formy. Memel is now Klaipeda in Lithuania.
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

Seedienst Ostpreussen

image sent by Jan Mertens, 30 May 2005

This page presents the ‘Seedienst Ostpreussen’ (Maritime Service East Prussia or East Prussian Naval Service):
Founded in 1920, its aim was to ensure a direct link between Germany and its post-1919 exclave, East Prussia. (Train journeys across the ‘Polish Corridor’ were judged onerous.) Ships of existing firms – Gribel, Braeunlich, Norddeutscher Lloyd , etc. - made up the fleet of this government-supported company which started operating its own ships in 1926. The vessels were commandeered when war broke out in 1939; the year 1944 saw the end of the 'Seedienst'.

Its flag is shown on a poster shown on above webpage. On a red field, between black capital letters ‘S’ and ‘O’, fimbriated white, is a white shield bearing a black Latin cross. The shield is given some relief while the letters are in a font I cannot identify.
Jan Mertens, 30 May 2005

F.M.A. Seele

image by Jorge Candeias, 27 Dec 2004

The flag is quartered per saltire, black in the top quarter, white in the bottom one and red in the other two. The white quarter has a black sans serifed capital S in the center. And the caption, if I'm not seriously mistaken, reads F. M. A. Sede. (A little trivia: "sede" is portuguese for "thirst" - funny name for a navigation company).
Jorge Candeias, 27 Dec 2004

"F.M.A. Seele, Hamburg", see here. The ship in the first picture ("Colmar") was sold to this firm in 1883. Unfortunately, no house flag is shown.In any case this is another example of a house flag repeating the (former) national German colours.
Jan Mertens, 29 Dec 2004

Seetzen Gebrüder

image by Jorge Candeias, 6 Dec 2004

The flag is white with a narrow chequy band at the hoist, consisting of 9x2 red and white squares, and a sans-seriffed black "S" capital centered on the remainder. The caption may eventually, if my guesses are correct (which is doubtful), read "Senien Gem".
Jorge Candeias, 6 Dec 2004

That is Seetzen Gebrüder, Bremen. Loughran's Survey of Mercantile Houseflags and Funnels, 1979, has this flag with at top and bottom af the fly a red border (1/8 flagheight), and a serifed S.
Jarig Bakker, 8 Dec 2004

Senator Line

image by Jarig Bakker, 5 Oct 2006

Comment is made of the merger of Deutfracht and Deutsche Seereederei as VEB Deutfracht/Seereederei which became Deutsche Seereederei Rostock GmbH in 7/1990 at the beginning of the privatization process which eventuated in June 1993 with the sale to the consortium of Hamburg shipowners of Horst Rahe and Nikolaus Schues, and to DSR Senator Linie. This latter was a merger in 1994 between the liner trade of DSR-Lines and Senator Linie (formed in 1987) being jointly owned by Deutsche Seereederei Rostock GmbH and Bremer Vulkan and appears to have operated with chartered tonnage. By 1997 there were financial problems which saw the South Korean company Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. acquire an 80% holding with the previous owners retaining an interest. On July 1st 2000 the name was changed to Senator Lines and their flag under both names is white with a stylised "S" of 3 lines, 2 dark blue and 1 red, which can be seen on the Josef Nüsse site. Brown 1995 shows a slightly different version with the central line being a lighter blue.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 May 2004

G.J.H. Siemers & Co.

image by Jarig Bakker, 13 Feb 2005

G.J.H. Siemers & Co., Hamburg; red flag, half 6-pointed white star, leaning against a faced white crescent.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 13 Feb 2005

J. Silvain

image by Jorge Candeias, 19 May 2004

And here's another readable caption, this time reading "J. Silvain". The flag is white with 5 red 5-pointed stars, disposed in saltire.
Jorge Candeias, 19 May 2004

The very same houseflag was used by the French shipping company "Chargeurs Réunis".
The name "Silvain" sounds French but does not necessarily indicate a link between the two companies. It is more probable that the ancestors of J. Silvain were Protestant traders or shipowners very wisely expelled from France by king Louis XIV for the benefit of the economical, social and cultural development of the Lutherian countries.
Ivan Sache, 20 May 2004

Stelter Dampfer

image by Jorge Candeias, 2 May 2004

This one is blue with a somewhat schematic white key, upright. There is a similar flag, that of "Reedereigruppe Freese", but this features no letters, and has a different key. The caption is practically illegible, but I've guessed something in the lines of "Stelter Dampler".
Jorge Candeias, 2 May 2004

Stern und Kreis Schiffahrt

Stern und Kreis Schiffahrt, Berlin: crossed white flags, one with a red five-pointed star (not swallow-tailed as the Red Star Line had) and one with a letter T within a ring, both red (firm with same name in Berlin, clearly a successor: different house flag now)
Jan Mertens, 16 Nov 2003

Hugo Stinnes

image by Jarig Bakker, 23 Dec 2004

Hugo Stinnes, Hamburg - four stripes NWRN; in center white diamond, charged with "HSt" above two crossed hammers.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 23 Dec 2004

Matthias Struve

image by Jorge Candeias, 9 Jan 2005

The flag is blue with a yellow lozenge that touches its edges. In the center, the initials now black and read "STv". The caption is very hard to read. It consists of two words, the first looks like "Martin" to me and the second one may start with an S and that's all I can make out of it.
Jorge Candeias, 9 Jan 2005

The flag does not ring a bell with me but the caption seems to read 'Matthias Struve'. Here is a small trace, indicating that the company existed at least during the years 1906-1916. We get to see Struve's signature on the clickable share, but that's not good enough...
Jan Mertens, 10 Jan 2005

Stüwe & Co.

image by Jorge Candeias, 12 Mar 1999

Stüwe & Co. Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG - White with narrow dark blue horizontal stripes along the top and bottom and a lozengy logo centered. The logo consists of a light blue square lozenge and triangles in dark blue, white, dark blue, light blue (top row) and in reverse order (bottom row). In the lozenge, a graphical element in dark blue and white creates the interconnected letters 'S' and 'L'.
Jorge Candeias, 12 Mar 1999

Swinemünder Dampfschiffahrt AG

image sent by Jan Mertens, 15 May 2005

This page (in German) presents the 'Swinemünder Dampfschiffahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft' (Steam Navigation Co. Ltd of Swinemünde).
The house flag is horizontally divided blue (upper stripe) and white, bearing a white disk in the middle showing a red griffin's head, beaked, langued and also crowned yellow; on the blue stripe are black letters 'Sw' (upper hoist) and 'D' (upper fly), on the white stripe are 'A' (lower hoist) and 'G' (lower fly).

From the text we learn that the firm was founded in 1890, cooperating with erstwhile competitor Braeunlich from 1892 on. It seems its few ships had a penchant for collisions; another company characteristic was buying ships from, or selling them to, Braeunlich. In 1928, the firm was bought by the 'Stettiner Dampschiffs-Gesellschaft' (Steamship Co. of Stettin), legally disappearing during WWII, probably.

The publicity reproduced on the webpage shows that the 'Swinemünder' was active in local shipping to and from Stettin plus a number of other Baltic resorts.
More on this firm and its ships on this scripophily page (in German).

Swinemünde is now Swinoujscie in Poland; its CoA (with a complete, and very maritime, griffin) can be seen.
Jan Mertens, 15 May 2005

Syndikats Rhederei Gesellschaft

image by Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2005

Syndikats Rhederei Gesellschaft, Hamburg - red flag, white diamond, black "O" (or circle?)
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2005