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Maritime Houseflags Q-R (Australia)

Australia

Last modified: 2015-06-27 by ian macdonald
Keywords: shipping: australia | queensland steam shipping co | saltire (white on red) | queensland tug & salvage co | diamond (red) | ritch & smith | cross (blue on white) | square: divided per saltire |
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Queensland Cement & Lime Co.

[Queensland Cement & Lime Co. flag] image by Jarig Bakker, 18 Dec 2005

Queensland Cement & Lime Co., Ltd., Darra - white flag, "QCL" over "Queensland"; in the top-"Q" a crude map of Queensland, all redbrown.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2005

[Queensland Cement & Lime Co. flag] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

Queensland Cement & Lime Co. Formed in 1914 it became involved in shipping in 1932 and in the latter stages operated its vessel through the subsidiary Cementco Shipping Pty. Ltd. According to The Log 8/1886 the map of Queensland on the flag was green and there was no lettering on the flag [see au~q5a.gif attached]. The discrepancy with Brown 1995 may relate to its having changed name in 1988 to Queensland Cement Ltd. Neither flag now apply with the company having been merged into Cement Australia in 2003.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


Queensland Steam Shipping Company

[Queensland Steam Shipping Co. flag] image by Jonathan Dixon, 5 Aug 2005

The Queensland Steam Shipping Co. had been formed in 1887 by British India Steam Navigation with its flag being red with a white saltire which was the BI colours and basic design in reverse. In 1887 it was amalgamated with the Australasian Steam Navigation Co. to form the Australasian United Steam Navigation Co. Ltd..
Neale Rosanoski, 30 July 2005

This British India Steam Navigation Co. page shows a red swallowtail, white saltire, rather than a rectangular version. The BIShip page is the only source showing the swallowtail I am aware of (it may well be erroneous).
Jan Mertens, 16-17 January 2007

Queensland Steam Shipping Co. The image as shown by Jonathan is based on my information which in turn originated from that shown in The Log 8/1986 in an article by Bob Tompkins. With Bob having been an expert on this subject, especially on his own Australian scene, as this is what he showed I would expect it to be correct. Having said that, it does illustrate the problems with written descriptions which in most cases will result in different interpretations by different people. With Bob himself now deceased I cannot check out his sources or what he meant as he was also writing of the connection with the company and BISN, but on re-reading his comments in The Log he does state that "the flag is a reversal of the BI flag" even though he may have only meant that the colours were reversed. So whilst correct as far as the colours was concerned this was obviously incorrect for the flag design as the BI flag was a swallowtail and the saltire did not extend to the fly. Therefore, in my wisdom (?) I "clarified" things in my comments by stating that it was the "basic design" only meaning that it was as a plain flag bearing a saltire and if Bob's image is right then I feel that this was a better way of describing things.

The version found by Jan on the biship site now has me wondering as at least one of the sources given is familiar. I have sent a message through to the site in the hope that it is still active and with luck we will get to the bottom of things, but for now I am not sure which was the correct version.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

Further to my comments above, regarding the link supplied by Jan to the biship site and their showing of an exact reversal of the BI flag, it has now been ascertained from the proofs of the Bob Tomkins article that he did show it as a red rectangle with white saltire and referred to as being the "virtual reversal" of the BI flag. The dropping of the word "virtual" in the final printing results in an incorrect interpretation able to be made and this seems to have occurred with the World Ships Society records describing it a reversed BISN flag sourced from Bob Tompkins. It is my conjecture that the persons assembling the information for the BI site would most likely be UK based and involved with WWS and would therefore go to that source's liveries records. Lacking a definite source to the contrary I feel this is a reasonable conclusion. For interest, two sites show the rectangular flag but as their sources are not known this does not prove anything:
http://www.yalumba.co.uk/Framesets/Queensland%20Steam%20Ship%20Company.htm 12.3.2010 under Queensland Steam Ship Co. [taken to be a name error]
and http://www.flotilla-australia.com/ausn.htm#qss-qss.htm 12.3.2010 under Queensland Steam Shipping Co.
Neale Rosanoski, 14 March 2010


Queensland Tug & Salvage Co.

[Queensland Tug & Salvage Co. flag] image by Jarig Bakker, 5 Oct 2005

Queensland Tug & Salvage Co., Pty., Newstead - horizontal stripes black - white - blue - white - black, proportioned c. 1:1:2:1:1; in center of the blue, a red diamond.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 5 October 2005

Queensland Tug & Salvage Co. Originally Queensland Tug Co. Pty. Ltd. as a joint venture involving Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd. it changed name in 1984 and eventually became a wholly owned subsidiary and from the beginning of this century trading as Adsteam Harbour – Brisbane, presumably in Adsteam colours.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


Refrigerated Express Line (Australasia)

[Refrigerated Express Line (Australasia) flag] image by Jarig Bakker, 18 Dec 2005

Refrigerated Express Line (Australasia) Pty., Adelaide - blue flag, white globed "R".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2005

Refrigerated Express Line (Australia). A joint venture formed 1968 between Fairfield International Corporation and Maruha Corporation and subsequently a full subsidiary of the former. By the latter 1980s it had changed its name to New Guinea Express Lines (Australasia) Pty. Ltd. I recorded the flag in 1986 but not as a swallowtail with the blue being a mid shade and the globe design in the upper "R" being formed by 7 vertical and 1 horizontal white lines with this complexity being too much for the small image shown in Brown. The design on the funnel however pointed to the flag being swallow-tailed with possibly the tail points having been worn off with use though in correspondence with Louis Loughran he said that he had received an earlier report on a normal rectangular version so such a flag may have existed, possibly from an incorrectly manufactured batch which was used up.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


T.A. Renolds & Co.

[T.A. Renolds & Co. houseflag and funnel] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

T.A. Renolds & Co. Formed Hobart 1890 being taken over 1896 by the Union Steam Ship Co. of N.Z. Ltd. having had a red flag with a narrow white cross surmounted by a Union Flag proper edged white, the white being undefined and merging from The Log 5/1993.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


Richard Brothers

[Richard Brothers houseflag and funnel] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

Richard Brothers. Based Hobart it was a small one vessel operation between 1952 and 1967 with used a blue flag with a white circle bearing a blue "R". Source The Log 2/1991
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


Ritch & Smith

[Ritch and Smith Pty Ltd flag] image by Jarig Bakker, 5 Oct 2005

Ritch & Smith Pty, Ltd., Adelaide - white flag, blue cross; in center a square divided per saltire in yellow, blue, red and black; at top hoist red "R", in bottom hoist red "S".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 5 October 2005


Riverside Coal Transport Co., Pty. Ltd.

[Riverside Coal Transport Co., Pty. Ltd. houseflag and funnel] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

The Riverside Coal Transport Co., Pty. Ltd. was formed in 1926 and now forms part of the Riverside Marine Group of Companies with its shipping interests in tugs and barges dating from around the mid 1980s. The flag of blue with a white ring enclosing a white "R" is shown by The Log of 11/1986.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


Rosman Ferries

[Rosman Ferries houseflag and funnel] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

Rosman Ferries. Operating small ferries and cruise vessels on the Sydney Harbour since 1920, their website shows a flag logo of red with a white "R"
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010


James Rowe & Sons Ltd.

[James Rowe & Sons Ltd.  houseflag and funnel] image by Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010

James Rowe & Sons Ltd. Hobart shipowners and orchardists who merged in 1931 with Huon Peninsular S.S. Co. to form Houn Transport Co. The flag from The Log 2/1991 was white with a blue cross paty.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 March 2010