House Flags of German Shipping Companies (z)

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (z)

Last modified: 2012-07-30 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: zerssen | zelck | zachariassen | zedler | zeppenfeld | zieglowski | zillmann u tegeler | zippa | zoeller | dtsch-oesterr. dag | zoder |
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• Andreas J. Zachariassen
• A. Zedler
• Otto Zelck
• Reederei Horst Zeppenfeld
• Zerssen & Co. - variant
• Gebr. Zieglowski
• Zillmann & Tegeler
• Zippa Reederei
• W. Zoder
• Leo Zöller

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

Andreas J. Zachariassen

A. Zedler

A. Zedler
The company was located in Lübeck. It is a black over white over red horizontal tricolour, like former German merchant ensign. In the centre is a symmetric shield divided per fess, in the upper half is a red cross patty in a white field, in the lower half a white cross patty in a dark red field. The shield is flanked by black capitals “A” and “Z” in the white stripe. Note that in source the lower half of the shield was depicted as red, superimposed by the Petra Sancta code for black.
My interpretation was the whole being dark red (R++).
Source: Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.43.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Apr 2009

Concerning A. Zedler, the coat of arms is that of its former seat, Elbing (now Elblag, Poland). The cartouche containing the arms is bordered black and fimbriated white. Back then, the initials were somewhat stylized.
Jan Mertens, 6 Apr 2009

As Jan states the cartouche containing the arms is bordered black and fimbriated white with this fimbriation edging the compartment from the black and red bands. This is shown by the quoted source of Klaus-Michael together with the same format editions of 1957 and 1958, Stewart 1963 and [barely] by Schiff und See (Arnold Rehm) 1967 i.e. you need the actual sources to determine the fimbriation in fairness to Klaus-Michael. Also, obviously because of the smallness of the source images, the crosses as shown in the printings are not proper cross patty but look fourché with straight sides and the arms ending in "v"s. Stewart and Rhem vary the colour of the bottom compartment showing it as black not red. Klaus-Michael may be right in his interpretation that the trellis or lattice markings are in the
code for a darker shade of red but there appears to be another possibility following on from Jan's advice that the emblem is based on the Coat of Arms of Elbing, now the Polish Elblag. Going by the CoA as shown by Wikipedia for Elblag the bottom compartment is red with a yellow angled trellis [de)eblag.gif]. A flag pin for Zedler [de~zedlerpin.gif] which is the closest we can probably get to an actual flag, confirms that the crosses are paty, but shows a similar trellis but in black which is in line with Klaus-Michael's source [attached as de~zedler.gif] except that its trellis is vertical/horizontal which can be ascribed to printing.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 Aug 2010

Otto Zelck

Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Otto Zelck, Rostock - blue flag, two convergent contoured rectangle; white "O.Z.".
Jarig Bakker, 28 Jan 2005

Reederei Horst Zeppenfeld

Reederei Horst Zeppenfeld G.m.b.H. & Co., Bremen - horizontal NYN flag, in center of white black "Z".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 13 Jan 2006

Zerssen & Co.

Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Zerssen & Co., Rendsburg - blue flag, white diamond, red "Z&Co".
Jarig Bakker, 13 Dec 2004

Zerssen & Co. - variant

The flag is blue with a white lozenge touching the edges and red initials in the center. This time, the initials read "Z&Co". The caption is readable: "Zersten & Co."
Jorge Candeias, 8 Jan 2005

The same flag captioned 'Nordfriesische Reederei GmbH Rendsburg' is shown at the Biedekarken site, second page (the one with yellow or orange funnels), eleventh row, last flag.
To be found under the name 'Zerssen & Co., Rendsburg' in the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels as No. 325.
The company still exists (founded 1839): see here.
The Zerssen & Citti Ship Service GmbH (supplier) has a flag of its own.
Jan Mertens, 10 Jan 2005

Gebr. Zieglowski

German brothers again – their website being in the works, we would not normally suspect the existence of a house flag: In any event it sadly no longer flies on any vessel. Founded in 1952, the company – still a family business – started extracting and transforming pumice stone for building and is now a major supplier of light concrete.  It is established at Kruft, a small town to the W. of Coblentz and until recently operated five vessels – carrying bulk goods for construction, of course – one of which is shown on this ‘Binnenvaart’ page, namely ‘Moselland’, flying the flag on the bow. See also the drawing: divided per saltire, yellow (left and right) and blue (top and base), black initials ‘G’ and ‘Z’ (no serifs) on the yellow segments.  (The logo on the homepage place holder is different.)  ‘Rheinland’ on the
‘Binnenschiffe’ site (lists five vessels in all), first clickable photo showing the flag.
The time has come for yet another German eBay offer, this time no. 320007199825 (end 21 July 2006) put up by “hadarman”.   Dimensions given as 118 cm x 198 cm, possibly polyester, and made by Fahnen-Herold (Wuppertal, jm).  Came with one page of maintenance advice.
Jan Mertens, 19 May 2008

Zillmann & Tegeler - Deutsch Österreichische Dampfschiff AG

It was a blue flag with a white 5-point star in the centre.
Source: Flaggenkarte, Hrsg.: H. Carly, Hamburg, c.1898
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Jun 2012

Zippa Reederei

Zippa Reederei GmbH KG
The company was located in Hamburg. It is a white over red over white horizontal triband with ratio approx 1:3:1, the red stripe masoned white with a white disc, containing a red capital “Z”, in its centre.
Source: Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen”; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.44.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Apr 2009

W.Zoder

According to source Hamburg shipowners register provides evidence of the company's existence at least from 1874 until 1877 and from 1885 until 1889. The flag is quarterly divided into red and white. In the centre is a black diamond containing a white initial "Z".
Source: Otto Mathies: "Hamburgs Reederei 1814 - 1914", Hamburg 1924, p.60
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Jul 2012

Leo Zöller

Established at Elsenfeld on the River Main, to the SE of Frankfurt, ‘Leo Zöller Schiffart’ is a company operating four inland vessels active on the major rivers in Germany including the Rhine and the Danube. Modest website, showing the house flag as a drawing and flying on one of the barges: Largely white with a narrow red horizontal stripe near the staff, serrated; in the fly a large black ornamental initial ‘Z’ above two stylized waves in blue.

As Elsenfeld is situated in Franconia (northern part of Bavaria) and ‘MS ‘Wolfrose’ (see ‘Flotte’ or fleet, left menu: clickable photo) is flying the unofficial Franconian flag, we may suppose that that is where the serrated division and the flag colours come from.   On the other hand the ‘Z’ and the wavelets seem self-evident. But... ‘MS Wolfrose’ and ‘MS Schönrain’ fly above flag in mirror fashion, that is to say, with the serrated part in the fly and the initial still readable.
Jan Mertens, 14 Oct 2007

White flag with Franconian rake at the hoist. Shifted to the fly a stylized black capital "Z" with two blue wavy lines below
Source: logo on company website
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Jul 2012