Last modified: 2006-03-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: esso | jre | eagle (black) | lion (yellow) | etc | et | e&f | e&b | ellerman | ea | egc | el | esl |
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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 Eagle Oil Shipping Co. Ltd, London. A yellow rectangular flag with a black stripe across the top and bottom edges. In the centre is a black eagle is displayed. The flag is made of wool bunting with a cotton hoist. It is machine sewn and the eagle motif is made of cotton. A rope and toggle is attached.
The shipping company was set up to ship oil from the Mexican oil fields to
Europe. Their ships were involved in merchant convoys during both world wars.
They were the owners of the 'San Demetrio' reboarded by her crew and saved after
being set on fire by the 'Admiral Scheer' in 1940. The company were also
managers of the 'Ohio' (owned by the Texas Oil Company) at the time of the Malta
convoy of 1942. The firm was merged with the Shell International Petroleum
Company in 1959 and their livery disappeared."
Jarig Bakker, 12 August 2004
Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows Eagle Oil Transport Co. Ltd., London:
yellow, thin black horizontal edges and a standing black eagle with outstretched
wings in the centre. Both edges seem to be one fifth of flag height and the
eagle, one half of flag height besides two thirds of flag width. It is difficult
to make out if the eagle stands on something but I think not.
Jan Mertens, 19 May 2004
Eagle Oil & Shipping Co. After WW2
they also operated as Eagle Tanker Co. Ltd. out of the Bahamas. Although the NMM
dates the flag as 1935-1950 all the sources up until towards the end show an
eagle with wings displayed and inverted with the eagle generally looking in line
with the attached . This however
differs in the leg area from the design appearing on the funnel whereas one would expect them to be the same although the fact
that the funnels had a letter "O" underneath, or "T" later as was suitable, may
have made it appropriate to shorten the legs thereon. The change to the design
from the NMM flag is shown by Talbot-Booth for the funnels in his Merchant Flags
1959 and it appears that there was a change to the eagle design in 1957
according to a letter from John S. Styring to the publishers of "All About Ships
& Shipping" (Harnack) dated 29.12.1959 in which he states "the actual 'design'
of the eagle was altered materially early 1957". These comments would explain
the eagle with wings displayed and elevated as per NMM which appears in the US
Navy 1961 publication (though the black top and bottom edgings are omitted) in
which he had considerable input. Any alteration was of course short lived with
the integration with Shell taking effect 1.1.1960 after which the Shell flag was
flown.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
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 Eastern and Australian Steam Ship
Co. Ltd., London. A rectangular green flag, on a very broad red bend and a crest
of a gold lion rampant holding a black foul anchor. The flag is made of a wool
and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope
is attached."
Jarig Bakker, 5 August 2004
Eastern & Australian Steam Ship Co.
Ltd. Began in 1873 as the Eastern & Australian Mail Steam Ship Co. Ltd.
which had a voluntary winding up in 1880 being replaced by the newly formed
company. The original flag according to Griffin 1895 had the same basic format but with the lion rampant
guardant facing the fly and holding a shield bearing the black letters "EA" over
"M". In 1894 there was
another voluntary liquidation so it could reform under the same name and in 1946
it was again reformed as basically a P&O subsidiary and in due course it
disappeared into the Group. According to the Liverpool Journal of Commerce
sheets of 1885 the lion changed to holding an anchor but still faced the fly as
rampant only and
although they show a white anchor rather than black, that may not be significant
as sources vary with their portrayal and colouring of both lion and anchor. The
flag as shown here appears from Lloyds 1904 onwards.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
image located by David Prothero, 12 July 2003
Cable & Wireless was the name given in 1934 to a company formed in 1929 by
amalgamating Eastern Telegraph Company, Eastern Telegraph Extensions Company,
Eastern Telegraph Associated Companies and Pacific Cable Board. Eastern
Telegraph Company's house flag was the old East India Company ensign with blue
letters ETC in the fly. The Extensions Company house flag was similar with an
additional blue letter E above the letters ETC. Their ships operated under the
Red Ensign, but ships of the Pacific Cable Board, a public body formed in 1901
by the governments of Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, were granted a
Blue Ensign defaced with crossed cable-laying implements surmounted by a royal
crown. This ensign was probably withdrawn in 1929.
David Prothero, 12 July 2003
According to the Liverpool Journal of Commerce chart of 1895 the Eastern
Telegraph Co. Ltd. previously had a vertical triband of red-white-blue bearing
the letters "ETC" [white on colour, red on white]. The flag shown above by David
is recorded from Griffin 1895 on though Lloyds 1904 shows a slightly different
version with the letters more widely spread and dots after them but their 1912
edition brings it into line.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 February 2004
The Pacific Cable Board was a public body formed in 1901 by the governments of
Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, to establish a west-about cable link
with Australia, that would not cross any foreign territory. It was granted a
Blue Ensign defaced by cable-laying implements in saltire ensigned by a royal
crown. The ensign became obsolete in 1929 when the Board was wound-up and its
assets combined with those of the Eastern Telegraph Company, the Eastern
Telegraph Extensions Company, and Eastern Telegraph Associated Companies to form
Imperial and International Communications Ltd. In 1934 the name was changed to
Cable & Wireless Ltd..
David Prothero, 24 September 2004
Eastern Telegraph Company. Re the flag included for Pacific Cable Board, both
Lloyds 1912 and Cableships & Submarine Cables show the fly emblem being within a
yellow ring.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 20 November 2005
Edinburgh Tankers plc., Edinburgh - blue flag, white diamond, red "ET".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 20 November 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 25 December 2005
Effluents Services Ltd., Macclesfield - horizontal green-white-green flag; in
center black "ESL".
Source:
Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 25 December 2005
Based on Sampson (1957)
Bristol - Jamaica and Central America
Houseflag: blue, with white diamond and E&F in blue.
Jarig Bakker, 13 October 2003
Elders & Fyffes, London: Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows this flag
as blue with a white diamond bearing blue characters (without serifs) `E & F' in
the centre, the `&' being somewhat smaller than the letters. Sampson's (1957)
image has a slightly larger diamond.
Jan Mertens, 4 June 2004
Elders & Fyffes. Became Fyffes Group Ltd. in
1969.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
Elder Dempster and Co.Ld., Liverpool. White swallow-tail with tapering edges,
a red St George's cross bearing a yellow royal crown in the centre. A 1953
artistic
impression can be seen here:
http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/edl.htm.
Jan Mertens, 19 May 2004
Elder Dempster Lines Ltd. This UK company traded with West Africa (and other
places) and was based in Liverpool. The flag originated with the African Steam
Ship Co., the crown being granted under the Royal Charter under which it was
formed in 1852 and for whom Elder Dempster & Co. became agents and then
gradually took over by 1890 with Elder Dempster Shipping Co. Ltd. being
established in 1898. Some sources give a tapered version but this would seem
without basis.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
based on image by Jorge Candeias
The company commodore had the flag shown on a white swallowtail
i.e. one flag upon another.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
Based on Sampson (1957)
Stewart & Styring (1963) shows this as a
common pennant used for Ellerman, but the Ellerman & Papayanni Line flag (a blue
pennant flying under the pennant) has the lettering "P & Co". Helvetica with the
'o' half the size of the C and aligned with the top of the "C", lettering in
white, extending ~2/3 the length of the fly.
Ellerman and Papayanni - Formed in 1855, Papayanni Brothers joined the Ellerman
Group in 1901 and became Ellerman & Papayanni Line.
Phil Nelson, 12 October 2003
From
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/ellerman6.htm
After 1973 all constituent Ellerman companies were combined into Ellerman City
Liners which in 1987 became Cunard-Ellerman.
Phil Nelson, 12 October 2003
Referred to as Ellerman Line, Liverpool, in Larousse Commercial
Illustré (1930). Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) also shows Ellerman Lines
City Line Ltd., Glasgow: a small(er drawn) red flag with white letters (no
serifs) SS. Letters about one half of flag height. An elongated pennant of the
Ellerman Line above, and by one fourth longer than, this flag. The pennant's
height is half the flag's.
Jan Mertens, 16 May 2004
Ellermans Group. The variety shown by sources as to the proportions of the
various flags of the Group is large. The only accurate measurements available
appear to be those from the National Maritime Museum which detail the
combinations for Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co. Ltd., Ellerman & Papayanni
Lines Ltd. and Ellerman's Wilson Line Ltd.
The plain blue pennant bearing the white "JRE" is that of Ellerman Lines Ltd.
but Sampson along with Talbot-Booth 1936-1944, Brown 1943-1951 and Harnack
1938-1949 show it for Ellerman & Papayanni. Although the two are shown as
separate companies based London and Liverpool respectively it seems that most of
the fleet may have been based under the latter and perhaps they were inclined to
usually fly just the single flag of the group whereas other taken over companies
with their own fleets had more reason to want to display their origin. By itself
this pennant may have been more triangular in the ratio of 2:3 which sources
show or it may have been longer in line with the pennants shown above the
original houseflags of the various group members.
As stated by Phil, Ellerman & Papayanni officially flew another blue pennant below bearing the white letters "P&Co". As given by the National Maritime Museum the upper pennant was 711mm x 1803 whilst the lower pennant was 1143 mm x 1905 mm. Sources all seem show a normal display of letters for the old Papayanni flag but that of the NMM has the lower case letters enhanced. Talbot-Booth in 1949 states that the flag was a blue rectangle with a white "P" but this is unsupported.
The Ellerman Lines City Line Ltd. referred to by Jan continued to be
known as the City Line Ltd. after Ellermans took a 50% holding in
1901. Others to retain their name according to Lloyds were the Hall
Line Ltd. and Westcott Laurence Lines Ltd. with all three using the
format of flying the Ellerman pennant superior.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
by Ivan Sache, 4 December 2005
This cigarette card shows an image of
the flag (from
http://www.gdfcartophily.co.uk/item.php/IID/285246010).
Jan Mertens, 1 August 2005
Based on Sampson (1957)
James Dignan, 12 October 2003
Blue Pennant with JRE in white over a blue flag with red E&B in three white
diamonds (the Bucknell Line had the same flag with red BSL in three white
diamonds).
Jarig Bakker, 12 October 2003
From
http://www.archives.gla.ac.uk/collects/catalog/ascols-e.html:
Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd; (established in 1740 as Henry Bucknall
& Sons, name changed to Henry Bucknall & Co by 1880, Bucknall Nephews
established 1890s, incorporated as Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd in 1900, name
changed as given in 1914).
Phil Nelson, 12 October 2003
Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co. The fleet commodore swallowtailed both their
flag and the Ellerman pennant [see E62 attached] with the proportions presumably
being in line with those given for the houseflags by the NMM at 660mm x 1752 for
the pennant and 1143mm x 1778 for the flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
Based on Sampson (1957)
James Dignan, 12 October 2003
From
http://www.gjenvick.com/lib/book/maritime/0752417282.html [page no longer
active]:
Founded in the early years of the nineteenth century, the Wilson Line became the
largest privately owned steamship fleet in the world. Based in Hull, its main
trade was to and from Scandinavia and the Baltic States although the Wilson Line
also carried cargoes to the USA, the Mediterranean and India. Emigrants were an
important part of the company's business. Large numbers of Norwegians, Swedes
and Jewish refugees of the Tsarist pogroms were brought into Hull, transported
overland to Liverpool and shipped to America. In the 1890s Wilson Line ships
carried more cargo to the USA than the ships of any other line.
By 1919, losses from the fleet were such that the line was put up for sale.
Bought by Ellerman, the name changed slightly but the old ways continued.
Ellerman's Wilson Line remained independent of the rest of the Ellerman empire.
Rebuilding the fleet was a priority but trading conditions were difficult - with
too many ships chasing the available cargo. The Second World War saw a reduction
in fleet size from thirty-five to just nine and another rebuilding programme got
under way in 1945. The once-lucrative American trade ceased in 1961 and the
Wilson Line began the use of roll-on, roll-off ferries for its Gothenburg
service in 1966.
In 1983, then entire Ellerman Group was put up for sale. By 1987, the company
was in the hands of Trafalgar House and called Cunard-Ellerman. In 1991 P&O
purchased the Ellerman Group container business and sold the remaining four
ships. Every trace of Wilsons, once the largest independent steamship company in
the world, had now vanished.
Phil Nelson, 13 October 2003
There is a difference between the burgee used as the houseflag of Ellerman &
Papayanni Lines and the pennants used on top of the houseflags of the other
Ellerman companies:
a. the houseflag of Ellerman & Papayanni Lines is as you sent it (216x324)
b. the pennants: 108x360 (approximately)
The new houseflag of Ellerman & Papayanni Lines has two equally high and wide
pennants (108x360 (approximately)
1. blue with white letters JRE
2. blue with white letters P&Co (o uppercase)
Jarig Bakker, 13 October 2003
image located by Jan Mertens, 22 November 2005
Only the tiniest of splits is shown by the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels:
www.mysticseaport.org, i.e. ‘Thos. Wilson, Sons & Co., Ltd Hull’ (no. 1660).
Perhaps the thinly split pennant was the predecessor of the swallowtail?
Jan Mertens, 22 November 2005
According to Loughran (1979) this company started life as Thomas Wilson, Sons &
Co., Ltd., in Hull. It became part of the Ellerman Group as the Ellerman's
Wilson Line, Ltd., of Hull, at about the time of the First World War. During the
19th c. its houseflag seems to have been a normal pennant, but by the turn of
the century it appears as a burgee, which is its present form, with, of course,
the blue Ellerman pennant above.
Loughran has two images:
1. a triangular burgee, white with a red disk, for "Thos. Wilson (&c)
2. a tapered swallowtail, idem, with the Ellerman burgee on top
Your message indicates to me that the take-over took place on or a bit before
1916, and that at first the Ellerman burgee was not flown above it.
Jarig Bakker, 22 November 2005
Ellerman's Wilson Line. Although this tapered swallowtail version is shown by all the regular sources the NMM flag differs by being a normal rectangular swallowtail [see E259 attached] with their proportions being 600mm x 1778 for the pennant and 1168mm x 1828 for the swallowtail i.e. in the three cases where actual measurements are available the Ellerman pennant differs in each case but basically but be considered in the ratio of 1:3 compared with the houseflag at 2:3 and with the hoist of the pennant being half that of the houseflag.
images by Rob
Raeside
In 1973 the company was restructured with Ellerman City Liners being
formed to look after most of the Group's shipping interests. This led
to the adoption of a new flag in 12/1974 according to Loughran (1979)
which was based on an advertising logo which originated from the
company funnel markings which were buff with a black top separated by
a broad white band. The flag resulting was blue with 3 horizontal
oblong panels [possibly representing containers] one above the other,
the upper being closer to the fly, the central closer to the hoist and
the lower central, the sides of these panels being angled per bend
sinister. The Loughran version, also shown in Brown 1982, has an upper
panel of black, a central of white with a black frame and a lower of
yellow, all three being edged white in a joining border and the
central white panel bearing the angled black legend "ELLERMAN". I also have a provided drawing of the time supposedly
taken from the actual flags and which is reasonably close in design,
showing the panels not being connected, the upper being dark blue
edged white, the central white with the legend being dark blue, and
the lower orange edged white [black and dark blue being close
together, buff of the funnel perhaps being shown by a yellow/orange]. Then in Brown 1995 another version is shown under
the title of Ellerman Lines where the colours of the panels, which are
all separated, are shown as red edged white, white with the blue
legend, and blue edged white. These may be
variations as they searched for the best combination or a result of
interpretations of sightings.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 15 February 2006
Embiricos Shipping Agency Ltd., London - blue flag, white "E".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 15 February 2006
image by Jarig Bakker, 10 December 2005
Ensign Express Shipping Ltd., Ramsgate - vertical blue-white-blue, in center
black italic "EE".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 10 December 2005
Based on
Wedge 1926 Essex Line, Limited (Meldrum &
Swinson), London - white flag with blue Maltese cross, charged with a blue
rectangle with "EL" in white.
Jarig Bakker, 16 December 2004
Esso Transportation Co., Ltd (also Esso Petroleum Co., Ltd., and practically all
affiliates of Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey) - White ground; blue ellipse in
center containing Esso in red letters.
Jarig Bakker, 20 October 2003
Esso Transportation Co. Ltd. An unusual variation and such sketches appear in
the files of E.P. Harnack (All About Ships & Shipping). The company itself is
shown by Lloyds in the 1950s but the regular sources of that period, Stewart and
Brown, show it using the common group flag of white with the red legend "Esso"
within a blue oval ring [see the USA Exxon
page for the group detail]. The main British shipping company of the group
was Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd. which changed its name in 1951 from Anglo-American
Oil Co. Ltd. with its use of the flag with the oval ring being confirmed on the
National Maritime Museum website though I note that in the accompanying written
description they mistakenly describe the lettering as being "red within a blue
oval" instead of "red within a blue oval ring". The use of the new flag is
confirmed officially by a letter from Esso Transportation Co. Ltd., dated
30.11.1951 to E.P. Harnack, stating that it was also used by Esso Petroleum Co.
Ltd. and most of the affiliates of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. They also
enclose the official drawings with measurements etc. dated October 1946 and
ironically it may well have been these which caused the initial problem
[certainly Harnark has interpreted it wrongly] as they talk of the colours as
being white for the ground, red for the letters and blue for the ellipse, just
as does the NMM, and then give measurements including both for the ellipse and
the ellipse band, but faced with the actual flag of Esso Petroleum Co.
Ltd. and funnel markings from photos it becomes clear that they really meant the
ellipse band to be blue and the field inside the ellipse to be white with the
red letters thereon.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005
image by Ivan Sache, 17 March 2004
The flag is quartered per saltire red and white.
The flag of F.T. Everard is identical to that of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation, one of the major High Street banks in the UK.
Ron Lahav, 17 March 2004
F.T. Everard has no association with the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation. It is an international and multinational private company based in
Britain.
Mike Nancollas, 2 September 2005
The Swire group also has a connection with Hong Kong and a similar flag,
differing only by a vertical blue stripe in the middle of the flag. See
this page for reference.
Ivan Sache, 18 March 2004
The logo is a flag-like drawing like this.
Jorge Candeias, 07 Jan 1998
Euroasia. Would appear to relate to the Euroasia Container Line which was a
service begun in 1985 by the international Contship Group which is based in U.K.
Neale Rosanoski, 18 April 2005
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels [Wedge 1926]
European Gas Company, Limited (H.A. Brightman), North Shields - white flag, "E.G.C."
in red. North Shields is a suburb of Newcastle.
Jarig Bakker, 5 February 2005
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 Euxine Shipping Co. Ltd., London. A
rectangular white swallow-tailed burgee with a red, white and blue stripe across
the centre. 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, 12 August 2004
Euxine Shipping Co. Ltd. There may have been a subsequent change as Stewart and
Brown from 1953 to 1978 show the flag as being a tapered swallowtail. The Brown
editions of 1951 and 1958 show a similar format other than that in that the red
and blue bands are separated by an equal width of white field but Stewart 1953-1963 and then Brown 1978 show narrower bands well
apart with the shape of the flag also differing as a result.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 May 2005