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British shipping companies (A)

Anchor Line
Anchor Steam Tug Co.
Andreadis (U.K.)
Andrew Weir Shipping Co. Ltd.
Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co.Ltd.
ARC Marine Ltd.
Asiatic Steam Navigation Co.
Associated British Ports
Associated Humber Line
Associated Portland Cement Manufactures Ltd.
Aster Steam Company
Athel Line
Atlantic Container Line, Ltd.
Atlantic Steamship Co. Ltd.
Australind Steam Shipping Co.
Avenue Shipping

See also:

Anchor Line

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

The website of the National Maritime Museum describes the house flag of the Anchor Line Ltd, Glasgow, as "a white swallow-tailed burgee bearing a red anchor and four links of cable. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached." The image on the website, however, shows only three links.
Jarig Bakker, 3 August 2004

Anchor Line, Glasgow: Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows a white swallow-tail, a red anchor placed diagonally (flukes in upper hoist corner), three rings of the anchor chain showing in the lower fly corner. The image above shows four rings, the number of which is said to have some significance – compare this site with (it says `four links of cable'!) this site. Perhaps the on-line 1912 Lloyds is right, see No. 226 on p. 13 (four links attached to the anchor's own ring) at this site (i.e., `Anchor Line (Henderson Bros.), Ltd., Glasgow').
Jan Mertens, 4 June 2004

Anchor Line. The four links in the chain (some sources show more or less) are said to represent the four Henderson brothers who were involved in the company which originated in the 1850s as Handyside & Henderson, adopting the name Anchor Line in 1899.
Neale Rosanoski, 9 February 2004

Anchor Steam Tug Co.

located by Jan Mertens, 2 December 2005

This North Shields company flew a white triangular pennant with a diagonally placed blue anchor. See the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels: http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/initiative/Impage.cfm?PageNum=89&bibid=11061&ChapterId=8, no. 1829, ‘Anchor Steam Tug Co., Ltd., North Shields’. I'm sending this after a chance visit to the Anderson Online page (top), ‘From North Shields to San Francisco’, detailing the career of one particular tug, the ‘Eppleton Hall’, from North Shields to a pier in San Francisco – quoting the above page - "in the livery created when her last owners France, Fenwick took over the Anchor Steam Tug Company in 1920. In his book ‘150 Years of the Maltese Cross’, published in 1993 by Tyne & Wear Tugs, John H Proud traces the North Shields tug-owning partnership of John Anderson (1836-1919) and Robert Chater in detail from c.1867 and tells how it was converted into a limited liability company - the Anchor company - in North Shields on May 25 1903” (…) the company's independent existence ended with the France Fenwick take-over in July, 1920, just one year after the death of John Anderson".
Jan Mertens, 2 December 2005

Andreadis (U.K.)

image by Jarig Bakker, 9 September 2005

Andreadis (U.K.), London - white flag, red saltire, blue oval and vertical bar. (Obviously of Greek origin: the blue oval and stripe form together the Greek letter "Phi" - F).
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 9 September 2005

Andrew Weir Shipping Co. Ltd. (logo)

image located by Aingeru Astui Zarraga, 26 April 2002

The logo with the crown and a pair of hands holding the ship belongs to "Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd.". The one of the McAndrews is most simple. See also Bank Line.

Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows Andrew Weir & Co. (Bank Line), London: diagonally divided red-blue (upward slant, lower hoist to upper fly), a thin white stripe between upper hoist corner and lower fly corner), the stripe's width being about one eight of flag height. The logo shown here of 'Andrew Weir Shipping Co. Ltd.' and similar flag of 'Bank Line': see the latter one for more information on the company names.
Jan Mertens, 28 May 2004

Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd.

image by Jarig Bakker

Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd., London: white, a thin blue saltire (let us say, one fifth of flag height) and a red disk in the centre, the disk being about one third of flag height. The on-line 1912 Lloyds shows this flag (with a broader saltire) under No. 1372: http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/initiative/ImPage.cfm?PageNum=67&BibId=11061&ChapterId=8

Jan Mertens, 19 May 2004

ARC Marine Ltd.

image by Jarig Bakker, 30 November 2005

ARC Marine Ltd., Southampton - horizontal blue-white-blue flag; in center black "ARC".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 30 November 2005

Asiatic Steam Navigation Co.

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag of the Asiatic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, London is a blue, white and blue triband with a five-pointed blue star on the centre stripe. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and wooden toggle is attached.

The Asiatic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd was formed in 1878, with Turner & Co. as managing agents to run steamships in the Bay of Bengal with its vessels primarily carrying cargo and local labour. The company lost many of its routes following the Second World War and Indian independence in 1947. The connection with Turner & Co. was broken in 1960 and P&O acquired a controlling interest in the company in 1961 in order to integrate the fleet more closely with the rest of P&O group."
Jarig Bakker, 3 August 2004

Associated British Ports

image by Jarig Bakker, 20 November 2005

Associated British Ports, London - blue, white "ABP".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 20 November 2005

Associated Humber Line

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag of the Humber Line. A dark blue rectangular flag with a white disc in the centre bearing the letters 'AHL' in red. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached."
Jarig Bakker, 15 August 2004

Humber Line. The correct title was Associated Humber Lines Ltd. being formed in 1935 as a consortium of five rail ferry companies. Their function was originally as managers, not owners but this changed in the late 1950s until 1971 when they ceased their own operations but continued as managers for another decade.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 March 2005

Associated Portland Cement Manufactures Ltd.

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Associated Portland Cement Manufactures Ltd., London. A yellow rectangular flag, bearing a white disc in the centre with a blue border inscribed 'PORTLAND CEMENT' in blue letters and 'BLUE CIRCLE' in black letters. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It is machine sewn and the design is printed. A rope and toggle is attached."
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004

Aster Steam Company

image by Jarig Bakker

Aster Steam Company, Limited, Cardiff - red swallowtail; white 5-pointed star; black "B'.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [Wedge 1926]
Jarig Bakker, 20 February 2005

Athel Line

image by James Dignan

Based on Sampson (1957)
James Dignan, 17 October 2003

Houseflag: Navy Blue; ATHEL in blue letters in white diamond.
Jarig Bakker, 17 October 2003

Athel Line was a subsidiary of United Molasses. London UK.
Phil Nelson, 18 October 2003

Atlantic Container Line, Ltd.

image by Jorge Candeias

A dark blue sigla over a wavy stripe on a white background.
Jorge Candeias, 1 May 2004

This is the new houseflag of Atlantic Container Line Ltd., London, a consortium formed 1966, with an international membership. The partners are Cunard Line, the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, Holland-Amerika Lijn, Svenska-Amerika Linien, Transatlantic Rederi, and Wallenius Line. Its specialty was roll-on, roll-off.
Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2004

Old flag

image by Jarig Bakker

The firm's monogram alone formed the emblem of the original houseflag. With the appearance of the later vessel, such as the "Atlantic Cognac", a new houseflag was adopted, bearing simpler initials.
Source: "A Survey of Mercantile Houseflags & Funnels", by J.L. Loughran (1979)
Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2004

www.btinternet.com/~philipbparker/acl_history.htm

Atlantic Steamship Co. Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 30 December 2001

Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. began in the 1930's, but had no ships until 1945/46 when they acquired ex-navy landing craft, and later pioneered purpose built RoRo [roll-on-roll-off] ships. They also traded under the name Transport Ferry Service. The flag was a white burgee, bordered in blue and with a bluebird motif in the centre. In 1974 the company was acquired by Townsend Thoresen and the flag slowly phased out as ship liveries were changed at refit.
Ted Harrison, 11 December 2001

Atlantic Steamship Co. being actually Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. as pointed out by Ted, also had a commodore's flag which was the normal flag with a miniature placed in the canton i.e. a flag upon a flag. Most sources show the flag without a top and bottom border i.e. just the "bluebird" in the tail. In 1987 having come under P&O the company followed its flag into oblivion becoming P&O European Ferries (Felixstowe) Ltd.
Neale Rosanoski, 9 February 2004

Australind Steam Shipping Co.

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag of Australind Steam Shipping Co. Ltd (Trinder Anderson & Co.), London, has on a blue background a yellow cross. In the centre on a yellow disc, a black swan is shown. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and a toggle is attached.

The company managed services and cargo between the UK and Western Australia taking over from the ship broking firm of Oliver and Wilson. They also started a service between Freemantle and Singapore. Trinder, Anderson & Co. with Bethell, Gwynn & Co. were involved in the transport of emigrants. They set up a steamer service called the West Australian Steam Navigation Co., London in 1886; a company that later became the Australind Steam Shipping Co. In 1904 the two firms amalgamated.
Jarig Bakker, 3 August 2004

Avenue Shipping

image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Avenue Shipping Co. Ltd, London shows "on a rectangular white field, there is a blue cross with a blue bordered white diamond in the centre, bearing the blue letter 'A'. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and two Inglefield clips is attached.
Jarig Bakker, 3 August 2004