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Rickmers (German Shipping Company)

Last modified: 2014-06-28 by klaus-michael schneider
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[Rickmers houseflag] image by Jorge Candeias, 5 Dec 2004 See also:

Rickmers Reederei

I found this German shipping company: Rickmers Linie GmbH & Cie. KG, Hamburg, with this company website.
Its flag is a horizontal tricolour flag (dark green - red - white) with the white big letter "R" in the middle of the green and red stripe.
J. Patrick Fischer, 14 Feb 2003

One can see the Rickmers flag on the fourth painting from top down (and click to enlarge) here.
Accompanying text, slightly edited:
"Portrait of the Ship *R.C. Rickmers* under full sail in the Chinese Sea, ca. 1870 – The German full–rigged ship (Rickmers Line, Bremerhaven) at sea with local shipping and an unidentified Chinese coastline beyond - unsigned - Oil on canvas, relined - 45 x 60 cm (17 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.) – Private collection, Germany.

Note: A typical example of this type of paintings with a profile view of the vessel. The ship's name is written on the bow and on the main mast we notice the house flag or Rickmers. Click on the image to see a larger illustration."

Information from the company website:
In choosing his house flag, the firm's founder was obviously inspired by that of his native island, Heligoland. Wharf founded 1834 at Bremerhaven, first completely owned ship 1842.
Flag-bearing subsidiary firms are certainly:
- MCC MARINE Consulting & Contracting GmbH: an 'MCC' version of the company flag.
- ESSE or Expert Shipping Service GmbH & Co. KG: tiny blue and white flag on this page.
Jan Mertens, 26 Aug 2004

Even the Rickmers Reismühle GmbH is still existing. It is not a part of the Rickmers shipping acitvities.
Jörg M. Karaschewski, 27 Aug 2004

See a real flag here - i.e. the (Greenwich) National Maritime Museum's on-line house flag collection... by the way, it is clear the upper stripe is green but
has anyone told Barbara Tomlinson?
Same, shown on a 19C painting (ca. 1870, from the Fine Art Emporium).
Jan Mertens, 6 Dec 2004

Bertram Rickmers

[Bertram Rickmers] image by Jarig Bakker, 30 Sep 2005

Reederei Bertram Rickmers, G.m.b.H., Hamburg - horizontal triband VRW; over green and red white "BR".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 30 Sep 2005