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Busck (Shipping company, France)

History of Busck
House flags of the company
- As shown by Paul Bois
- As shown on a company bond
Société Anonyme de Transports Côtiers

See also:

History of Busck

Axel Busck, of Swedish origin, founded his shipping company in 1896. The first sheduled lines of the company served Algeria and Tunisia. In 1899, the whole Mediterranean coast of France was served and in 1900, a line to Russia via the Baltic Sea was opened for the importation of wood.

In 1936, the company was renamed Compagnie Nouvelle de Navigation Busck. Two years later, the Compagnie de Navigation Mixte took the control of Busck, which, however, retained his ships, crews and house flag.
During the Second World War, five out the six ships owned by Busck were lost. After a reorganization, the company operated four modern ships in the late 1950s. The company definitively lowered its flag in 1962.

Source: Paul Bois. Armements marseillais - Compagnies de navigation et navires à vapeur (1831-1988), published by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marseille-Provence [boi03].

Ivan Sache, 16 February 2004

House flags of the company

As shown by Paul Bois

by Ivan Sache

Paul Bois (Armements marseillais - Compagnies de navigation et navires à vapeur (1831-1988), published by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marseille-Provence [boi03].) reports two flags for Busck, which may correspond to two successive names of the company. The first flag is blue with a yellow Swiss cross, whereas the second flag is horizontally divided blue-yellow-blue with a black B letter in the yellow stripe.

Ivan Sache, 16 February 2004

As shown on a company bond

by Ivan Sache

Jan Mertens reported another flag, from a company bondt, horizontally divided blue-yellow-blue with a larger yellow stripe charged with a blue B letter.

In all of these house flags, the colours are a reminder of Axel Busck's Swedish origin.

Ivan Sache, 16 February 2004

Société Anonyme de Transports Côtiers

by Ivan Sache

The Société Anonyme de Transports Côtiers was founded by Busck in 1910, with the support of Fraissinet. As can be guessed from its name, the company was specialized in coastal navigation and operated on the French coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from Port-Vendres (near the Spanish border) to Menton (near the Italian border).
After the First World War, SS Maréchal-Foch served Algeria, supplementing Busck's scheduled lines. Fraissinet withdrew from the company and was replaced by Jean Stern, owner of the big Affrêteurs Réunis company. Stern went bankrupt in 1923 and the SATC was sold off.

The house flag of the Société Anonyme de Transports Côtiers is similar to one of the house flags of Busck, but counterchanged, that is yellow with a blue Swiss cross.

Source: Paul Bois. Armements marseillais - Compagnies de navigation et navires à vapeur (1831-1988), published by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marseille-Provence [boi03].

Ivan Sache, 21 February 2004