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Flags of Indian Port Authorities

Introduction
Special Flag of the Trustees of the Port of Bombay
Special Flag of the Conservator of the Port of Bombay
Blue Ensign of the Trustees of the Port of Bombay
Red Ensign of the Bombay Harbour Trust (Republic of India)
Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta
Blue Ensign of the Port Trust of Calcutta
Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta
Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta (Republic of India)
Red Ensign of the Port of Cochin (Republic of India)

Introduction

The special flags were probably flown only by vessels carrying members of the Boards of Conservators or Trustees, while the defaced ensigns were probably flown by working boats operated by the Boards.
David Prothero, 11 December 2004

Special Flag of the Trustees of the Port of Bombay

by Martin Grieve

19th August 1880. An Admiralty Letter authorised a special flag for the Trustees of the Port of Bombay. Blue St George's cross with a maritime scene in each quarter; in the first quarter, a lighthouse, in the second a screw-steamer with auxiliary sails, in the third a dhow, and in the fourth a signal station at the end of a harbour wall.
David Prothero, 11 December 2004

Special Flag of the Conservator of the Port of Bombay

by Martin Grieve

Admiralty Letter, of 19th August 1880 authorised a special flag for the Conservator of the Port of Bombay.
Red St George's cross on a white field with three narrower horizontal red stripes in each quarter and a large circular badge in centre. The flag was designed by Captain Sir Henry Morland, of the Royal Indian Marine. "The basis is what was evidently his conception of the Indian Jack, which proves again that the flag carried the St George's cross; the extra two red and white bars at the top and bottom cannot however be accepted, as there is abundant proof that it was composed of five red and four white bars."
[Naval and Maritime Flags of British India from 1600 by Captain A. Rowand, Royal Indian Marine]

The badge consisted of two oval shields, surmounted by a crown, within a red ring bearing the words Conservator of the Port of Bombay. The sinister shield has the four quarters of the flag of the Trustees without the blue St George's cross, while the dexter shield is from the 1877 arms of the City of Bombay; a red lion passant guardant, flanked on each side by an ostrich feather, (alluding to the visit of Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales), above three, three-masted dhows, known as pattimars. Bombay was the first city in the Empire, outside the British Isles, to which arms were granted.
[W.D. and H.O. Wills's cigarette cards, 'Arms of the British Empire' c1909]

David Prothero, 15 December 2004

Blue Ensign of the Trustees of the Port of Bombay

by Martin Grieve

1880. A Blue Ensign for the Trustees of the Port of Bombay was sanctioned by the Admiralty. The badge in the fly consisted of a circular version of the Trustees Flag, without the blue cross, surrounded by a yellow ring bearing the words PORT TRUST BOMBAY in black. The slightly unusual crown is similar to the crown above the badge on the Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Rangoon. Rangoon at the time was administratively part of India, but I doubt there is any
connection. Possibly both badges were drawn by the same artist, who preferred this version.
David Prothero, 16 December 2004

Red Ensign of the Bombay Harbour Trust (Republic of India)

ensign by Željko Heimer, badge by Miles Li

This ensign is probably no longer in use.
Source: Flags of the World [Carr 1961].
Miles Li, 8 August 2005

Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

Another Admiralty Letter of 19th August 1880 authorised a special flag for the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta. There is no record of the appearance of this flag. Possibly the badge on the later Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta was derived from it.
David Prothero, 16 December 2004

Blue Ensign of the Port Trust of Calcutta

by Martin Grieve

A Blue Ensign was sanctioned by the Admiralty in 1883 for the Port Trust of Calcutta. No illustration has been found, but it seems reasonable to assume that it was similar to the badge on the later Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta, with the words PORT TRUST instead of PORT COMMISSIONERS.

In 1884 the Government of India required the withdrawal of the authorisation of the two defaced Blue Ensigns. "Vessels of private bodies under governments of Bengal, Bombay and Madras are to wear a Red Ensign with such distinguishing triangular flags as they decide upon." On 9th April 1884 the Admiralty issued a warrant for an Indian Government Local Maritime Blue Ensign.

David Prothero, 17 December 2004

Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

by Martin Grieve

On 1 February 1896 an Admiralty Warrant was issued for a Red Ensign defaced by the badge of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta. The 1889 Admiralty Flag Book was amended, and the badge was in the editions of 1907 and 1915, but not 1930. The similar defaced Red Ensign for the Commissioners of the Port of Rangoon appeared in only the 1915 Admiralty Flag Book.

The Bombay Trust and Bombay Conservators flags were in the 1889, 1907 and 1915 editions, but not the 1930 edition; although they, and also the Calcutta and Rangoon Red Ensigns were in the Flaggenbuch (1939).

One page was devoted to India in the 1889 edition, increased to two pages in the 1907 and 1915 editions. An extra two pages were required in the 1930 edition for the badges of the Red Ensigns of the Indian Native States. The Indian port flags may have been omitted for lack of space in the flag book, and not because the flags were no longer in use.

David Prothero, 18 December 2004

Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta (Republic of India)

image by Martin Grieve, ensign by Željko Heimer, 6 August 2005

Here was the red ensign of Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta (Republic of India). It is based on the versions used during the Raj, as shown above; it is probably no longer in use.
Source: Flags of the World [Carr 1961].
Miles Li, 6 August 2005

Red Ensign of the Port of Cochin (Republic of India)

ensign by Željko Heimer, badge by Miles Li

This ensign is probably no longer in use.
Source: Flags of the World [Carr 1961].
Miles Li, 8 August 2005