House Flags of German Shipping Companies (w)

Last modified: 2010-02-12 by jarig bakker
Keywords: warrings | wessels | tom wörden | westfal-larsen |
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• Wachsmuth & Krogmann
• H.D.J. Wagner
• Wappen-Reederei
• Reederei Warrings
• D.H. Wätjen & Co.
• Weert Ihnen
• F.C.C. Wehrhahn
• Jürgen Weitert Tankreederei
• B.Wencke Söhne
• Wesemeyer & Co
• Weserfähre
• Seereederei  “Weserland”
• Weser Schifffahrts Agentur
• Wessels
• Wessels Offshore Schleep
• Westdeutsche Reederei - old flag
• Westfal-Larsen
• André Wieczorek
• Hochseefischerei J. Wieting
• J.H.L. Wilckens
• Th. Wille
• J.O.Williamson
• J.E.A. Wimmer & Co
• Gebr. Winter
• Heinz Winter
• Witt & Büsch
• H.H. Wübbe Nachfolger
• Otto Wulf

• Wallmann & Co
• A.H. Wappäus
• Washbay Linie
• Hans Peter Wegener
• Oskar Wehr K.G.
• Weidmann & Ballin
• Adolf Wiards
• Heinrich Witt
• Woermann Line
• Schiffahrtskontor tom Wörden
• WTAG
• Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei

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

Wachsmuth & Krogmann

The flag is white with a broad 3-sided red border and with very large initials W&K occupying almost the whole of the white area. The caption, guessing like crazy, seems to read "Watsmidt & Kognise".
Jorge Candeias, 30 Dec 2004

It's No. 2083 (Sailing Vessels section) in the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels, i.e. 'Wachsmuth & Krogmann, Hamburg'.
Jan Mertens, 31 Dec 2004

H.D.J. Wagner

H.D.J. Wagner - At first Hans Detlev Jacob Wagner was a shipbroker but in 1880he established a shipping company, which existed until 1924.
The company used a red flag with a capital "W" in its centre and white stripes on either edge.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.158-159.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Apr 2007

Wappen-Reederei

Wappen-Reederei GmbH & Co. KG - It is a white flag with a dark blue edged white square in its centre. Within the square are five s-shaped greenish blue waves touching one another in the middle. The company is located at Johannisbollwerk, Hamburg. All ships have names starting with "Wappen von...". I spotted this flag on 16 March 2007 on top of the companies building. The waves have been reconstructed from the image upon the doorplate.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 June 2007

Reederei Warrings

An East-Friesland-like flag, probably with a family resemblance: black-red-blue horizontal tricolour with a white lozenge, fimbriated black, centred and charged with a black 'W'.
Jorge Candeias, 10 Mar 1999

Reederei Warrings. Brown 1995 shows the flag with a blue "W" in the name of Bernhard Warrings who appears to be the originator of a family group of which Rita Warrings and Harle Warrings Reederei are the last components which I have been able to trace.
Neale Rosanoski, 25 Oct 2004

D.H. Wätjen & Co.

This time the caption is really illegible, so that "D. H. Watice &  Co." above is nothing but pure guesswork.
Jorge Candeias, 4 May 2004

I read "D.H. Wätjen & Co." out of the caption, and indeed a Google search will find a ship and a shipping company of that name.
Stefan Schwoon, 5 May 2004

Weert Ihnen

Some time ago I managed to identify several house flags in this photograph, but the white one in the middle (red rectangle and red oval with white ‘W’ within black contour  line) remained unknown. Pure luck led to the following site, presenting Weert Ihnen GmbH at Emden on the River Ems, NW Germany.

This is a ship broker – in business since more than a century, according to the homepage – and also a shipping agent, inland navigation freighting agency, owner of an oil terminal, and bunker vessel operator.  In addition, this firm delivers various fuels to the East Frisian islands and construction sites on the coast.

See the logo on the site, uniting as it does the initials ‘W’ and ‘I’ (together forming another ‘i’) differs in detail from the one on the flag.  The oil tanks you can see on the homepage show an oval… I think.
Jan Mertens, 25 Oct 2006

F.C.C. Wehrhahn

F.C.C.Wehrhahn - Cesar Wehrhahn imported salpetre to Hamburg. In order to keep the costs for transportation low he at first chartered ships but in 1892 he bought own ships. According to source the shipping company was never very important. Though the ships were not very good for a while Wehrhahn made good business. The company existed at least until 1902. After Wehrhahn had sold his last two ships (the date I don't know) he became director of Kosmos-Linie.
The company used a blue over red horizontal bicolour. In the centre of the flag was a white 5-point star with a black serifed capital "W".
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.166-167.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Mar 2007

Jürgen Weitert Tankreederei

Jürgen Weitert Tankreederei
The company was located in Hamburg. It is ablue over white over red horizontal tricolour, the colours of Schleswig Holstein. In the centre is a white oval with a black capital “W”.
Source:  “Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.42
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 Mar 2009

B.Wencke Söhne

B.Wencke Söhne - In 1851 Robert M.Sloman the elder asked Bernhard Wencke to come from Bremen to Hamburg in order to build up a dock. In 1857 Wencke established his own shipping-company. He died in 1868 and the company got its final name. Friedrich Wencke died in 1905 and according to his last will the company was discontinued. The company used a white flag with black serifed capital letters "BW" plus half the size "S" and even smaller but double underlined small letters "ne".
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.103ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Mar 2007

Wesemeyer & Co

Wesemeyer & Co mbH
The company was located in Hamburg. Corresponding ship owner was August Bolten. It is a green over white over green triband with ratio approx 1:3:1. In the white stripe is a red, serifed  capital “W”. The company’s only vessel was MS TROSTBRÜCKE.
Source: Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.43..
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Apr 2009

Weserfähre

Weserfähre - This ferry company, active on the River Weser as says its name, operates a line connecting Bremerhaven and Nordenham up the river. Active since 1954, it transports passengers and motor vehicles (cars and lorries). Ferry website. To see and learn about the ferries, click “Schiffe” at the top of the page – the ‘Bremerhaven’ is flying the flag (click to enlarge).  In a less serious vein, you can rent a vessel and turn it into a partyboat. The flag is a vivid blue and bears a yellow diamond with a blue intial ‘W’.
Jan Mertens, 21 Feb 2006

Seereederei  “Weserland”

Seereederei  “Weserland”
The company was located in Bremen. It is a green flag with a red lozenge, fimbriated white and touching the flag’s edges. In the centre of the lozenge is a white capital “W”.
Source: “Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg 1956; p.18
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Mar 2009

Weser Schifffahrts Agentur

Reederei Weser Schifffahrts Agentur G.m.b.H., Brake - horizontal BWB flag; several blue geometrical forms on white.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 19 Jan 2006

Obviously a design attempt to create the WSA in geometric format, with two downward pointing triangles forming a stylized Latin letter "W", a "sinister-pierced" square representing the letter "S" and sinister-leaning parallelogram over a triangle to represent the letter "A".
I would think that the two triangles forming the "W" might be touching which might have made this interpretation clearer.
Phil Nelson, 19 Jan 2006

Make that stylised W over SA in blue on white...?
James Dignan, 20 Jan 2006

A.G. Weser, Bremen: blue with thin white horizontal edges and... what is this white figure? a ship? or initials in filigrane perhaps?
Jan Mertens, 16 Nov 2003

Wessels

Blue with white inscription 'WESSELS' in italics. The 'W', however, is transformed into a navigating ship through its shape, a wavy line below and light blue additions of several parts typical of cargo ships.
Jorge Candeias, 10 Feb 1999

Wessels Offshore Schleep

Wessels Offshore Schleep G.m.b.H & Co., K.G., Emden - BWB flag proportioned c. 1:3:1, in center red "W". ("Schleep" is saksisch for tug)
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

Westdeutsche Reederei

Westdeutsche Reederei GmbH
The company was located in Duisburg. It is a green over white over red tricolour, the colours of Northrhine Westphalia, but divided per bend sinister. In the white stripe are black, dotted capitals “W.R.”.
Source: Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.43.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Apr 2009

WDR old flag

Above is what I believe to be the Lloyds album picture, showing the old W.D.R. house flag. This was one of the images I managed to save from an Auctiva page (providing large images for eBay sellers) on 15 Aug 2007 (no info saved as to who put it up).
If I may believe another eBay offer (German no. 160036306018, accessed 1 Oct 2006 and put up by "tiger1655"), the publisher was Martin Brinkmann A.G. Zigarettenfabrik Bremen, 1933, 'Lloyd Reedereiflaggen der Welt-Handelsflotte' (i.e. Lloyd Shipping Companies of the World's Commercial Fleet).  It concerns book 5 (how many where there?) which is said to contain 396 images.
No idea where exactly the W.D.R. house flag was located - it is the exact style of drawing however.
Jan Mertens, 12 Aug 2008

Westfal-Larsen

Image from "The dumpy book of ships and the sea" (ed. Henry Sampson, published by Sampson Low, London, circa 1957). Caption: Westfal-Larsen & co.
James Dignan, 15 Oct 2003

André Wieczorek

The German, Hamburg based shipping company ‘André Wieczorek’ (named after the Managing Director, a Captain) maintains a website, English version available (click flaglet at bottom page): We learn (‘About us’ section) that this firm manages “smaller container vessels up to 1000 TEU with main focus on vessels up to 500 TEU. This so called feeder section performed best stability in charter rates over the last decades. Other important sections of [this] company are (...) multi-purpose vessels [for] transport [of] containers as well as heavy cargo.”

Founded in 1985, its ships often chartered by famous firms such as Wagenborg, ‘André Wieczorek’ fairly recently (2005) started cooperating with ‘Walther Möller & Co. GmbH & Co.’, local shipbroker.

Fleet description (nine ships at present; flag state, where seen, Antigua) via left menu.
This is a table flag (slightly reduced) found on German eBay: offer no. 290064089752 (end 25 Dec 2006) put up by “shipflag”, dimensions given as approx. 15 [cm] x 25 [cm].
Dark blue field bearing a red lying rectangle, fimbriated white; over the rectangle and extending into the blue field is a white initial ‘A’ (no serifs) the horizontal bar of which is replaced by a white wavy stripe, fimbriated red.
Further link: Walther Möller (flagoid).
Jan Mertens, 4 Feb 2009

Hochseefischerei J. Wieting

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "Hochseefischerei J. Wieting A.G." (#320, p. 52), a company based in  Bremerhaven, as white with a black "W" in the middle.
Ivan Sache, 27 Apr 2008

J.H.L. Wilckens

J.H.L. Wilckens - The company was established in 1884 by Julius Leonhard Heinrich Wilckens, a man from Altona, who was signing clerk of the shipbrokers Rettmeyer & Hessenmüller. Wilckens became owner of this company after the death of both partners. In May 1900 the last ship was sold to a company in Senegal and the company was dissolved.
The company used a red flag with a white bend sinister. Within the bend are four blue lines forming a lozenge.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.141ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Apr 2007

Th. Wille

The flag is a triangular blue flag with the company's initials in white: "T.W.". And the caption reads "Th. Wille".
Jorge Candeias, 6 Jan 2005

This must be the Th(eodor) Wille in question - we see his gravestone here. Dates 1818-1892. Founded a coffee export firm in Brazil in 1844, back in 1847 and active in insurance and shipping (not only in Germany but also in Brazil: fisheries, first telephone grid in Rio de Janeiro), helped found the well-known Commerzbank, left a fortune to Kiel (his hometown) to be used for education (university etc.).
Jan Mertens, 7 Jan 2005

J.O.Williamson

J.O.Williamson - This company had a white flag with a red centred cross and a white 5-point star in a  blue canton.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Mar 2007

J.E.A. Wimmer & Co

J.E.A. Wimmer & Co - In 1887 Johannes Eduard Alfred Wimmer, a Hamburg merchant established a shipping company. Though he settled down in 1898 in Lisbon the company remained in Hamburg. Wimmer chose a partner in 1907. Since then to the company's name was added the "Co.". The company moved to
Lisbon the same year but the ships stayed in the Hamburg ship-register. When Portugal joined WWI his last ships were confiscated by Portuguese government. Wimmer failed in reestablishing his company after WWI.
The colours in the flag are those of Portugal. The flag was white with a green bend sinister, a red capital "J" in the upper hoist and a red capital "W" in the lower fly.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.144ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Apr 2007

Gebr. Winter

Gebr[üder] (“Brothers”) Winter is a German shipping company established at Hamburg.  Website (in English): From the ‘Company’ section (subsection ‘Background and History’) we learn that the Winter family has been active in shipping for a very long time now: inland shipping on the River Elbe “for many centuries” followed by maritime shipping from 1900 on.  The current firm was founded in 1970 by brothers Harald and Jakob, and the next generation is now learning the trade.  The ‘History’ subsection lists the various ships evolving from a small wooden vessel to the current freighter and container ships.

The second ‘Fleet’ picture (photo carrousel) shows the house flag, also shown as a drawing on the site, together with the flag of Antigua flag which flies on most of the ships -  some are German registered.  But to the house flag, attached as < de~gwin.jpg> (photo detail taken from site): white with narrow horizontal edges black-white-light blue (upper edge) and the reverse (lower edge), in the centre a large red initial ‘W’ in Gothic script.

For better detail see attachment < de~gwin2.jpg> which is a table flag found – where else – on German eBay: offer no. 290081384592 (end 18 Feb 2007) put up by “shipflag”; dimensions given as approx. 15 cm x 25 cm.  This item will help in determining the width of the various stripes – something like 1:5:1 not counting the thin blue lines, of course.
Jan Mertens, 15 May 2008

Heinz Winter

Heinz Winter, K.G., Jork - triband NWN, on white small "H" above large "W", all black.
Jork is a few kms west of Hamburg along the Elbe 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

Witt & Büsch

The flag is a red saltire on white, with two initials in the hoist and fly quarters: W and B. I think they are blue, but there are some doubts there. In the caption there are also some doubts, but not many: it's something like Will & Büsch.
Jorge Candeias, 23 Dec 2004

I'm inclined to think it's 'Witt & Büsch' as there are traces (on the net) of such a firm engaged in African colonial trade (with German Cameroun, for instance) and cooperating with Woermann.
Jan Mertens, 27 Dec 2004

H.H. Wübbe Nachfolger

H.H. Wubbe Nachfolger, Hamburg - hor. BWB flag, in center red "W".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 17 Dec 2005

The correct name is HH Wübbe Nachfolger. You may write Wuebbe instead. The company still exists and its office is either on Vorsetzen or Johannisbollwerk (streetnames) and the flag is the same as depicted on FOTW.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Mar 2007

Otto Wulf

This page lists German firms operating tugs, one of them being Otto Wulf [GmbH & Co. KG] of Cuxhaven on the mouth of the River Elbe: There is a drawing of the house flag, vertically divided RWR with a black initial ‘W’ on the middle stripe, but on none of the tug photos linked to this flag is in evidence although it appears on most funnels.

Still, there is this, found on German eBay, showing the division of stripes as being 1:2:1.  This was offer no. 120135696059 (end 1 Jul 2007) put up by “vexillologe”.  Dimensions of table flag given as 16 cm x 24 cm.

Company website (again, a flag drawing), in English: Founded in 1921 by Otto Wulf, active in diving (hence “Taucher”) and salvaging, the firm is still family-owned - fourth generation by now.  Business has developed to include towage and transport. The company seat is Cuxhaven; a branch at Rostock, former GDR, was opened in 1993. The ‘Fleet’ section presents six tugs (not all details were accessible when checking) and two
specialized pontoons.  No house flag sighted in the ‘Photos’ section nor on Shipspotting or Tugspotters.  But here it can be made out.
Jan Mertens, 1 Aug 2008