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

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (b) Teil 1

Last modified: 2019-07-10 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: baase | baco | bahr | balt u weiszmeer | baltisch lloyd | baltrum linie | bangert | bartholomay | basler rhein | baum | baume | bavaria | bayrisch lloyd | bsk beck | behn | behnke sieg | beka | bendorfer | berndt | beluga | bernhold | berns | b |
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• Karl-Heinz Baase
• BACO-Liner GmbH
• Gustavo Bahr
• G. Balleer
• Baltische und Weißmeer Handels- und Schiffahrt
• Baltischer Lloyd Stettin
• Baltrum Linie
• A. Bangert
• Gerd Bartels
• Robert Bartholomay
• Basler Rheinschiffahrt-Gesellschaft mbH
• Bauer-Schadel GmbH (BSG)
• Baum & Co
• Volker Baume
• Bavaria AG
• Bayer Chemicals
• Bayerischer Lloyd
• BBG Bereederungsgesellschaft
• Binnenschiffahrtskontor Beck
• Bernd Becker
• August Behn
• Behnke & Sieg
• BeKa
• Beluga Shipping GmbH
• Bendorfer
• Hans E.W. Berndt
• Kurt Bernhold
• Arnold Bernstein
• Beulwitz, Dönitz, Witt & Co
• F.V. Beutelrock
• W.Beyer

• House Flags of German Shipping Companies
• House Flags of Shipping Companies
• Germany

Karl-Heinz Baase

Karl-Heinz Baase, Elsdorf-Westermühlen - red flag, black hoist-diagonal stripe, in center white disk, black "B".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 3 Jan 2006

BACO-Liner GmbH

BACO-Liner GmbH., Duisburg - blue flag with white vertical stripes; in center a yellow "b"-like thingy.
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

Gustavo Bahr

Gustavo Bahr - The company used a red flag with a white 5-point star in its centre. In the star was a black serifed capital "B".
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999;  inside cover.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Mar 2007

G. Balleer

The company was based in Bremen. The flag was white with a black serifed inscription "B&M" and had a red bordure.
Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.12, image no.78
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

Baltische und Weißmeer Handels- und Schiffahrt

Baltische und Weißmeer Handels- und Schiffahrts Ges.m.b.H. Danzig - The flag of the company was divided by saltire. Its quarters were blue (top), red (bottom); white (others) with black serifed capital letters in its white quarters "B" (hoist) and "W" (fly).
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; inside cover.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Mar 2007

Baltischer Lloyd Stettin

Baltischer Lloyd, I have no images, the company's existence was 1871-1874 according to Bonsor in his "North Atlantic Seaways" and 1870-1876 in the shipslist website and this is outside the scope of my books as although they go back to 1883 it is not until Lloyds 1904 that non British companies were shown in any number.
Bonsor does not illustrate but he describe the flag as being white, black "BALTISCHER LLOYD, STETTIN" between two black concentric circles, in centre, black head of a griffin vrowned.
Neale Rosanoski, 6 Jul 2009

Baltrum Linie

Baltrum Linie GmbH & Co., Baltrum - green flag, white triangle bordered black, black "B.-L.".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 3 Jan 2006

Baltrum Linie - The company is connecting Baltrum Island with Neßmersiel. The flag is green with a white disosceles triangle, fimbriated black, in its centre. The triangle contains black, serifed dotted capitals “B.-L.”.
Source: www.marcollect.de, maintained by  Klaus-Peter Bühne.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 May 2009

A. Bangert

It was a red flag. In the centre was a white disc containing a blue initial "B".
Source: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2012

Gerd Bartels

The company is located in NeuWulmstorf near Hamburg. The flag is yellow with a red lozenge in the centre containing a white inscription "GWB" with connected letters.
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Jul 2012

Robert Bartholomay

The company was located in Hamburg. The flag was red. Two white equilateral triangles fimbriated black met one another in the centre of the flag. Within the triangles were black capitals "R"(hoist) and "B"(fly).
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg 1956; p.11
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Sep 2010

Basler Rheinschiffahrt-Gesellschaft mbH

The house flag of German Brag (CH) subsidiary found in 'Flaggen auf dem Rhein' (1952 ed.).
Brag archivexillum: white with shifted black crozier, a national flag (in this case the German one) in the canton.
Name: Basler Rheinschiffahrt-Gesellschaft mbH (i.e. Basle Rhine Shipping Co. Ltd), Mannheim.
Jan Mertens, 26 Sep 2007

Bauer-Schadel GmbH (BSG)

The company is located in Greetsiel (Aurich County), was established in 1987 and runs one tourist ship, the MS GRETCHEN, which was built in 1924. The flag is an East Frisian tricolour, i.e. black over red over blue. Within the red stripe are white initials "BSG".
For further information click: company webpage
Source: I spotted this flag in Greetsiel on 14 September 2009.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 Dec 2013

Baum & Co

Dov Gutterman reported the linkof Befrachtungskontor W. Baum & Co., Nordenham - A canting flag (German Baum meaning tree). Flag is blue with a white diamond neraly touching all sides, charged with a green tree, with "&" on its stem and below the tree capitals CO, all blue.
(Nordenham is along the Weser river opposite Bremerhaven).
Santiago Dotor, 6 Nov 2003

Volker Baume

Volker Baume, Hamburg - green flag, white stylized "vb".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 19 Oct 2005

Bavaria AG

Bavaria Schiffahrts- und Speditions-AG (Bavaria Shipping and Transport Co. Ltd) has its head office at Aschaffenburg on the River Main and local offices in Germany (Würzburg, Bamberg, etc.) and France (Strasbourg). Company website (the house flag appears), and the English version of this site.
Bavaria offers extensive warehousing facilities, is specialized in integrated transport, operates a fleet of 25 barges representing about 45.000 metric tonnes, and has a subsidiary offering insurance.
The house flag can be seen flying on the "Bavaria" and also as a drawing on this Binnenvaart page.
If we consider the company website's version as the correct one, we can describe the house flag as being light blue with a thin white saltire and a small white, black-rimmed, disk in the centre bearing a black initial B. (In this picture the B is italic, but Binnenvaart shows it straight.).
Jan Mertens, 28 Apr 2006

Bayer Chemicals

As mentioned here earlier the Bayer chemical factory flew a house flag showing the winged lion, the brand preceding the well-known "Bayer cross". A pennant really, it appears in 'Flaggen auf dem Rhein' (1952 ed.) and so documents the continued use of the lion - but let me say right away that I do not yet know the years when Bayer's fleet was active. The pennant was vertically divided white (hoist) and blue (fly), the winged lion with one paw holding a caduceus and the other one resting on the globe, all yellow, in the hoist. Captioned as 'Farbenfabrik Bayer, Leverkusen' (i.e. Bayer Chemical Works, Leverkusen).
One single vessel, the push boat-cum-firefighting boat BAYER, is shown on the Binnenvaart site - it was built in 1974 (from 1996 on registered at Dormagen which is on the Rhine N. of Cologne, as is Leverkusen):
Founded in 2001, Chemion Logistik at Leverkusen is now Bayer's specialized (owned) company responsible for logistic operations including inland shipping. No fleet of their own it seems. Website, English version: click: here
Jan Mertens, 3 Dec 2007

Bayerischer Lloyd

Image from a German eBay offer no. 150133135419 (end 25 June 2007) put up by 'bundeszentralregister', table flag measuring about 15 cm x 24 cm.
Description: Wavy gyronny of twelve pieces, blue and white; in the centre a yellow lion, rampant, with red tongue and nails.
Jan Mertens, 23 Nov 2007

BBG Bereederungsgesellschaft

The company is located in Bremen. In the centre of the white flag is a white lozenge fimbriated celestial blue. In the lozenge is an inscription in italics "BB" (underlined) "G" (slightly below).
For further information click: company homepage
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Jul 2012

Binnenschiffahrtskontor Beck

It is a celestial blue flag with a white rhomb in its centre, containing a black capital “B”.
Source: I spotted this flag as jack of a ship of Dettmer  company  passing by at Billwerder Bucht on 13 April 2007. Another skipper told me, that flag belonged to a former member of Dettmer Reederei Bremen, who had established his own subsidiary. (The flag hoisted on top of the mast was that one of Dettmer).. But he didn’t know the name of that guy.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Aug 2008

It is Binnenschiffahrtskontor Beck GmbH
The company is located in Hamburg-Eidelstedt. It is a celestial blue flag with a white rhomb in its centre, containing a black capital, serifed “B”.
Source: I spotted this flag as jack of a ship of Dettmer  company  passing by at Billwerder Bucht on 13 April 2007. On 1 April 2009 a captain of a DTG vessel gave me the important hint and showed me the address in some kind of almanach. The father of the owner is said to be a high rank employee of Dettmer (Bremen).
Finally identified! I redrew the flag, for my “B” was wrong, it is now serifed.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 April 2009

Bernd Becker

Bernd Becker Shipmanagement is located in Jork (Stade county). On the edges at top and bottom are red stripes. In the central white field is a black inscription. "BB" is connected by an "A" above.
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Jul 2012

August Behn

August Behn - The company had a dark blue (FIAV-code B+) flag with a white centred cross.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Mar 2007

Behnke & Sieg

The flag is quartered per saltire in blue an white, with black serifed initials in the white quarters (hoist and fly): B and S. The caption is simply not legible. Guessing like crazy, I came up with something in the lines of Behnda & Sipg.
Jorge Candeias, 24 Dec 2004

It's Behnke & Sieg, Danzig as shown in the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels as No. 13. In fact, it's one of the table flags Josef Nuesse would like to add to his collection.
Jan Mertens, 25 Dec 2004

BeKa

On 1 Jan of this year, the important inland shipping group Imperial (DE) took over freighting office BeKa Schiffsbefrachtungs-GmbH at Kehl on the Rhine (opposite Strasbourg in fact). The latter firm was founded in 1982 by Franz-Joseph Becker; his daughter Monique Hezel-Reyntjens continues to head the office, arranging transportation for about twenty private shippers (Dutch, most of them) and some others.
See the in-house magazine ‘Imperial News’ no. 1/2007, page 5 (English version).
BeKa page on the Imperial website: showing the house flag, a pennant really, confirming Imperial’s habit of allowing formerly independent operators to keep their flags flying (other examples are Wijgula, NL; De Grave-Antverpia, BE; Transest, FR).
See a larger drawing on the Vlootschouw page dedicated to the vessel ‘Jordy M’: Blue pennant, yellow vertical stripe near the hoist bearing the company name in blue letters (no serifs) placed vertically; in the fly, a drawn-out but still recognizable initial ‘B’ placed above a wave, both yellow.
For an even better picture see image above taken from German eBay offer no. 160171593145 (end 28 Oct 2007) put up by “maiti35”.
Jan Mertens, 21 Nov 2007

Beluga Shipping GmbH

It is a dark blue flag showing a white tail fin of a diving whale. For further information click: company webpage
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Jul 2012

Bendorfer

Bendorfer Umschlag- und Speditions Gesellschaft mbH - The company was located in Bendorf, a small town between Koblenz and Neuwied and was established by Dr.Jürgen Bernhold, well known as owner of Hamburger Lloyd, and the Kann, a logistics(?) company.
In 2007 the company ran the dry good section of Bendorf’s harbour, while the fuel section was overtaken by Oiltanking GmbH (Hamburg) in the 1990's, when Hamburger Lloyd deteriorated.
Source: www.marcollect.de, maintained by Klaus-Peter Bühne.

Description of flag: It is a light blue flag with horizontal red stripes at both edges and a white fimbriation between the stripes. In the red stripe is a simplified version of the coat of arms of the city of Bendorf (an image can be seen at www.bendorf.de) at the hoist and white capitals “BUS”, which are separated by white dots, at the fly.
Source: I spotted this flag at Billwerder Bucht/Hamburg on 10 April 2009.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 May 2009

Kurt Bernhold

On this page recounting an inland shipping career and showing the house flag of tanker operator â€?[Binnentankreederei] Kurt Bernhold KG’ at Hamburg: See fourth photo showing vessel 'Fuhlsbüttel' in 1962.
Quarterly red and blue with a white cross throughout, the white Hamburg castle in the upper hoist (red field) and white initials 'KB' in lower fly (red field).
The (unnamed?) author worked for Bernhold between ca. 1959 and 1963 and mentions the end of the company (taken over by Hamburger Lloyd) without giving a precise date.
Kurt Bernhold was already mentioned as manager of Hamburger Lloyd.
Jan Mertens, 5 Sep 2008

Hans E.W. Berndt

This Seatowage page yielded a number of house flags last year, but the 'others' listed end of page may yield some more.  One of these is the Berndt towage company at Hamburg, represented by 'Moorburg' and 'Wedel'“ click the first photo to see the tug flying a horizontally divided flag blue-yellow-blue (mirrored by the funnels). Here is the table flag version, found on German eBay as offer no. 290197756509 (end 22 Jan 2008) put up by 'shipflag'.  Dimensions given as approx. 16 [cm] x 25 [cm].
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2005 (thus founded in 1930, no doubt named after the first owner), Berndt was at that time under control of Vattenfall, an important energy concern.  However the Eckelmann shipping and logistics group has taken over Berndt since the beginning of 2008.  News story, in German only here.
Active in Hamburg harbour and inland navigation, Berndt is said to have been above all a major stowing agent, especially of bulk goods such as coal, which in its turn explains the firm's ties with energy providers.  The company continues to exist - would its colours still fly?
Jan Mertens, 9 Feb 2009

Arnold Bernstein

Arnold Bernstein
The company was located in Hamburg. It is a black over red horizontal bicolour, superimposed by a white lozenge touching the edges of flag. In the lozenge are black, dotted capitals “A.B.”
Source: Arnold KLUDAS: Die Geschichte der deutschen Passagierschiffahrt (5 Bde.) Hamburg 1986; Reprint Laibach Slovenia-Buch Nr. 03617-8 Flagchart p.224.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Apr 2009

Beulwitz, Dönitz, Witt & Co

Beulwitz, Dönitz, Witt & Co. - The company was established of three former naval officers in 1919: Eugen von Beulwitz, Hermann Witt and Friedrich Dönitz, who was a brother of admiral Karl Dönitz. The company lost the ship BOHUS in 1924 and the press was very hostile to the company afterwards for the crew was not very experienced. This marked the end of the company.
The company used a white flag divided by a light blue saltire and with light blue stripes on either edge(FIAV-code B-). In the white fields were black serifed capital letters: "B" (hoist), "D" (top),"W" (fly) and "Co" (bottom).
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Mar 2007

F.V. Beutelrock

F.V. Beutelrock, K.G., Lübeck - per saltire white and red; in center white disk, fimbriated black, black "FB".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 19 Oct 2005

W.Beyer

It was a white flag with red, dotted initials "EB".
Source:
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 May 2012

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