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

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (w) Teil 1

Last modified: 2012-08-01 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: waetjen | wagner(hdj) | wallenius | wappen-reederei | warrings | weert ihnen | wehrhahn | weichsel dag | weitert | wencke soehne | wesch | wesemeyer | weserfaehre | weserland | weser schifffahrts agentur | wessels | westedt | weisse |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• H.D.J. Wagner
• Otto Wallenius
• Walrhein
• Wappen-Reederei
• Reederei Warrings
• D.H. Wätjen & Co.
• Weert Ihnen
• F.C.C. Wehrhahn
• 'Weichsel' Dampfschiffahrt AG
• Weiße Flotte Potsdam
• Weisse Flotte Schwerin
• Jürgen Weitert Tankreederei
• B.Wencke Söhne
• Johnny Wesch KG
• Wesemeyer & Co
• Weserfähre
• Seereederei  “Weserland”
• Weser Schifffahrts Agentur
• Wessels
• Wessels Offshore Schlepp
• P.W. Wessels
• J.D. Westedt

• Weiße Flotte until 1989
• House Flags of German Shipping Companies
• House Flags of Shipping Companies
• Germany

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

Otto Wallenius

The company was located in Bremen. It is a green flag with light orange capitals "OW".
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, 16 April 2009

Walrhein

Offered on German eBay till 18 March 2007 by "freschkall", item no. 200087115918 it is merely a table flag, but nicely giving the necessary details
Jan Mertens, 8 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

Reederei Warrings (serifed W)

Reederei Warrings - The company is located in Carolinensiel (Wittmund county, Lower Saxony). There are four branches: tourist ships, surveying, transport and cargo, and last but not least tugboats. There are ferry services from Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven to Helgoland  and Wangerooge Island. The flag is a black over red over blue horizontal tricolour (the colours of Ostfriesland) with a white lozenge, fimbriated black, in its centre containing a black, serifed capital “W”.
Source: www.marcollect.de, maintained by  Klaus-Peter Bühne
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 May 2009

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

5-Point Star Flag

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".
Sources:
1) Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.166-167.
2) Gratis Beilage zu Deicken und Behrmann's Neuen Monatsheften Neue Ausgabe Sommer 1897
3) Otto Mathies: "Hamburgs Reederei 1814 - 1914", Hamburg 1924, p.156
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Mar 2007

6-Point Star Flag

This variant was 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: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Jul 2012

'Weichsel' Dampfschiffahrt AG

The company was located in Kiel. The white flag had a red horizontal stripe at top and bottom edge. In the centre was a red disc containing a black capital "W".
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.42 Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 May 2009

Weiße Flotte Potsdam

Yellow flag with narrow horizontal edges in red, in the centre a foul  anchor, blue, and upright.
Jan Mertens, 8 Jan 2007

'Weiße Flotte (i.e. White Fleet) Potsdam GmbH' at …Potsdam, the well-known royal residential town west of Berlin, maintains a web presence here . Presentation text in English here
[On the River Havel] "you find the Weiße Flotte directly at the Hotel Mercure. From here, modern passenger ships and lovingly restored historical steamers start to various river cruises, day trips, romantic moonlight cruises." Given the presence of so many waterways near Berlin (rivers, lakes, and canals) there is a lot to discover but day trips to Berlin are also offered. As customary, ships can be chartered for various outings, receptions, and the like. In addition there is the harbour restaurant, 'El Puerto'. The fleet is presented here (incl. clickable photos of vessels).
There are eight vessels in all one of which is GUSTAV, almost a hundred years old. A special case is the 'Potsdamer Wassertaxi', active since April 2007, sailing thrice a day, "a line bus on water". Above site shows the house flag as a drawing, but a clearer image is found here
Yellow flag with narrow horizontal edges in red, in the centre a foul anchor, blue, and upright. The flag can be seen waving on some of the ships shown on the fleet page, but the best picture is perhaps the one at the top; also showing the 'G' signal flag below.
Although the link with the former GDR White Fleet seems obvious, I do not have any transition details on hand at the moment.
Jan Mertens, 1 Aug 2007

Weisse Flotte Schwerin

Weisse Flotte (i.e. White Fleet of) Schwerin is an inland tourist shipping company based at Schwerin, capital of Mecklenburg-Westpomerania (N. Germany), where lakes and waterways abound. Website, English version available: here
Founded in 1992 through a private take-over of the local tourist fleet (formerly GDR state-owned), the firm operates six vessels, the oldest being ELFRIEDE built in 1921, sailing Schwerin and neighbouring lakes and organizes special trips and charters between April and October.

Description of flag:
Light blue field bearing the company logo i.e. thin, italic and serifed initials "WF", joined at the top and outlined in black, above two horizontal smeared-out stripes, green above (but not touching) red, and the company name "WEISSE FLOTTE SCHWERIN" in thin black letters, also italics,underneath.
Source: flag photo
Jan Mertens , 15 Apr 2011

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

Johnny Wesch KG

The company was located in Hamburg-Neuenfelde. Wesch was born in 1910 near Hamburg. He was captain of a ship owned by his father and from 1932 to 1940 he was captain of his first own ship. In 1971 the company owned ten ships. In 1972 Wesch established together with Bernd Schulte, Alnwisch Harmstorf und Heiner Braasch the Hanseatic Shipping Co. Ltd. In Cyprus. Wesch died in 1977 and the company was led by his sons Bernd and Egon Wesch. They established together with others in the same year the Hanseatic Shipmanagement Ltd. in Limassol (Cyprus). In 1985 the fleet had increased up to 15 vessels but in 1987 the company went into bankruptcy.
The flag was white having horizontal celestial blue stripes at the top- and bottom edge. Between the stripes was a blue capital "W" of the same colour.
Source: Klaus-Peter Bühne's webpage
Image at: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg 1956; p.42
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Sept 2010

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

P.W. Wessels

Emden tug operators Wessels and ESAG merged to form ESB. This is not the Wessels nor the Wessels Offshore Schleep already present on FOTW-ws, but rather ‘Emder Bugsier- u. Bergungsgeschäft P. W. Wessels Wwe’ i.e. ‘Emden Towage and Salvage Co. P.W. Wessels (Widow)’.  Although the merger took place in 1994 this firm is still found in various directories which point, logically, to ESB. Page showing the old name and flag: “Towage – Shipping Company”, ESB
address. More of a surprise is the fact that P.W. Wessels is still listed as a member of VDR, the German shipping operators’ association, along with the house flag. And said house flag we already encountered on the ESB site, blue with a large white initial ‘W’ (no serifs). There are photos on the ‘net showing tugs with funnels of this design but which do not, as far as I can see, fly the ESB flag at the same time.  ('Fritzen II' mentioned in the ESB message has the Wessels Offshore Schleep funnel *and* seems to fly the ESB flag however.).
Jan Mertens, 4 Aug 2008

`Emder Bugsier- u. Bergungsgeschäft P. W. Wessels Wwe' - the white 'W' on blue ground - is shown in the 1928 Flaggenbuch II, part 1, no. 57 on (original?) p. 9.
This is not 1859 of course but the earliest example I was able to find so far.
Jan Mertens, 20 Aug 2008

J.D. Westedt

It was a red pennant having three tails with an inscription of white initials "JDW".
Source: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Jun 2012

back to W-companies main page click here