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Halcyon Lijn (The Netherlands)

image by Jarig Bakker, 19 Oct 2003

Halcyon Lijn
Halcyon other flag

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Halcyon Lijn

N.V. Halcyon Lijn, Rotterdam
Three equally wide horizontal stripes of white and green; the green stripe with a white diamond in the center, charged with green letter "HL".
Image from Flagchart of houseflags of Dutch shipping companies, attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Oct 2003

All sources up to WW2 are consistent in showing black letters on the flag though they differ on the width of the green band apart from its being broad, Harnack showing it widest. Wij Varen Weer in 1946 shows green letters as do subsequent sources (I disregard Harnack 1959 as I doubt if he bothered to do much, if any, updating and his 1949 edition, which also shows black letters, was a compete exact replica section of his pre WW2 books, the detail being reasonable but of no use in trying to determine the timing of changes) with Stewart 1963 varying by having the diamond wholly throughout a very broad band. And then a couple of the Dutch sources show the flag with equal bands, including Wyt's Digest, the annual publication on Dutch shipbuilding which I have a feeling is the origin of such portrayals.
Neal Rosanoski, 6 Dec 2003

From the comments I gather that the flag with equal stripes and green letters was introduced soon after WWII.
Jan Mertens, 21 Jul 2008

I see you have a problem nailing down a date for the markings on the NV Halcyon Lijn Flag. I have dived the SS Stad Alkmaar - built 1940 and sunk by German U-Boat on 07-09-1940 in the North Sea off Lowestoft, whilst en route from Santa Cruz to London. She was owned by Halcyon Lijn NV at time of loss.
I recovered a soup bowl and tureen from the wreck. As you can see by the markings on these two items the HL was already in Green in 1940 and the markings on the plate show that the plates where supplied by Bert Muller, Amsterdam. It also shows "Vera 1939".
Dieter Schuller, 29 Jun 2010

Halcyon other flag

image by Jarig Bakker, 22 Oct 2003

Another version of the flag of N.V. Halcyon Lijn, Rotterdam (as found on Josef Nüsse's site, a Dutch houseflagsite and in: All about Ships and Shipping, 1959) - three horizontal stripes of white and green, proportioned (approximately) 1:4:1; in the center a white diamond charged with HL in black.
Jarig Bakker, 22 Oct 2003