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House Flags of U.S. Shipping Companies

Last modified: 2006-07-08 by rob raeside
Keywords: united states shipping lines |
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See also:


  • Admiral Line
  • Admiral Towing and Barge Company
  • A. Foster & Sons Rio de Janeiro Line
  • African American
  • A.H. Bull Line
  • Alaska Department of Transportation
  • Alaska Pacific Steamship Co.
  • Alaska Packers Association
  • Alaska SS Co
  • Alaska Transportation Co.
  • Alcoa SS Co
  • All America Cables & Radio
  • Allied Towing Corp.
  • Alsop & Co.
  • American-Asiatic Steamship Co.
  • American & Cuban Steamship Line
  • American Banner Lines
  • American Coal Shipping
  • American Export Lines
  • American Export Isliandtsen
  • American-Hawaiian SS Co.
  • American Independence Line
  • American Line
  • American Mail Line
  • American Mail SS Co
  • American Merchant Line
  • American Overseas Marine Corp.
  • American Pacific Line
  • American Pioneer Lines
  • American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC)
  • American Scantic Line
  • American Shipping and Commercial Corp. (United American Lines)
  • American Star Line
  • American Steamship Co. (American Line)
  • American West African Line
  • Amoco Corporation
  • APL, Inc. (formerly American President Lines)
  • American SS Co
  • American Trading & Production Corp
  • American Union Transport
  • Anchor Line
  • Ann Arbor Railroad Company
  • ARCO Marine Inc. (Atlantic Richfield Oil Co.)
  • Argonaut Line
  • Arthur Sewall & Company
  • Associated Transport Co.
  • Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co.(Red D Line)
  • Atlantic Ocean Transport Co.
  • Atlantic Refining Co
  • Atlantic Transport Co of West Virginia
  • Aymar & Co.
  • A. Zarega & Co

  • Baker-Whiteley Towing Co.
  • Balboa Transport Co.
  • Baltimore Mail SS Co.
  • Baltimore Steam Packet Co
  • Barber International
  • Barber SS Line
  • Barry Brothers Transportation Co.
  • Bartlett Line
  • W. E. Bedmont
  • Benjamin Webster
  • Benjamin W. Silsbee
  • Bermuda Line
  • Bernuth Lembcke Co
  • Bethlehem Steel Corp.
  • George E. Billings
  • E.N. Bisso & Son
  • Black Ball Line
  • Black Diamond SS Corp.
  • Black Star Line
  • Black X Line: See Griswold's Black X Line
  • Bloomfield SS Co.
  • Boland and Cornelius
  • Boston & Philadelphia SS Co.
  • Boyd & Hincken
  • Brander & Maliy
  • Bremen Line (Ocean Steam Navigation Co.)
  • S. Broom
  • J. H. Brown & Co.
  • Brunswick Steamship Co.
  • Bucklin & Crane
  • Bull Line
  • L. G. Burnham & Co.

  • California & Oregon Coast Steamship Co
  • California Navigation & Improvement Co.
  • California Oil Co.
  • California Transport Corp.
  • Calmar SS Co.
  • Caltex Oil Co
  • Carnival Cruise Lines
  • Castle & Cook Inc.
  • Catskill Evening Line
  • Central & South American Telegraph Co
  • Central Gulf Lines
  • W. R. Chamberlain & Co.
  • Chamberlain & Phelps
  • Chambers & Heiser
  • Chevron Shipping
  • Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Line
  • China Mail Steamship Co.
  • Chiquita Great White Fleet
  • C. H. Church & Son Star Line
  • Circle Shipping Co.
  • Cities Service Oil Co.
  • Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co.
  • Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company
  • Cleveland Tankers
  • Clover Leaf Steamboat Line
  • Clyde Steamship Co.
  • Clyde-Mallory Line
  • Coastwise Line
  • Coleman's California Line
  • E. K. Collins New Orleans Line
  • E. K. Collins Liverpool Line
  • Collins Line (New York & Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Co.)
  • Colombian Line (Colombian Steamship Co.)
  • Colonial Line
  • Columbia Transportation Div. (Oglebay Norton)
  • Columbian Line
  • Commercial Pacific Cable Co.
  • Comstock & Co.
  • Consolidated Coal Co.
  • Continental Oil Co. (CONOCO)
  • Continental Steamship Co. (Tomlinson Fleet)
  • Cosmopolitan Shipping Co.
  • Crescent Towing & Salvage Co.
  • Cromwell Line
  • Crowley Maritime Corp.
  • Curtis Bay Towing Co.
  • Cusack's Line
  • Cuyamel Fruit Co.

  • D. & A. Kingsland
  • David Ogden (Red Cross Line or St. George Line)
  • De La Rama Steamship Co.
  • Delta Line (Mississippi Shipping Co.)
  • R. M. Demill
  • Detroit & Buffalo Steamboat Co.
  • Detroit & Cleveland Line
  • Diamond Jack’s River Tours
  • Dixie UK Line
  • E. J. Dodge Co.
  • Robert Dollar & Co.
  • Donald McKay's Clippers
  • Donald Steamship Co.
  • Dunham & Dimon
  • Dunham & Dimon Savannah Line
  • Dunham & Dimon Glasgow Line

  • John J. Eagle & Co, New York
  • John I. Earle
  • Earn-Line Steamship Co.
  • Eastern Steamship Line
  • Eastern Transportation Co.
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co. Mobile Line
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co Apalachicola Line
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co Pensacola Line
  • Edward Moltenius
  • E. J. Dodge Co.
  • E. K. Collins New Orleans Line
  • E. K. Collins Liverpool Line
  • Empire Line (Wells & Emanuel)
  • E.N. Bisso & Son
  • Enoch Train & Co.
  • Erie Sand Steamship Co.
  • Eschen & Minor Co.
  • Esso Standard Oil Co.(?)
  • ExxonMobil Corporation (and its corporate predecessors)

  • Fall River Line
  • Fargo Shipping Corp.
  • S. C. Farnham & Co.
  • Farrell Lines
  • Ford Fleet / Blue Bird
  • Foreign Tankship Corp.
  • A. Foster & Sons Rio de Janeiro Line
  • Joseph Foulke & Sons
  • Fox & Livingston Union Line
  • Frederick Gerhard & Co
  • Funch & Meinke

  • G. A. Tomlinson
  • Gaelic Tugboat Co.
  • Garrison & Allen (New York and Brazil Mail Line)
  • G. C. Lord & Co.
  • George E. Billings
  • Frederick Gerhard & Co
  • J. C. Gilchrist
  • S. Gitcovich & Co.
  • Glidden & Williams
  • Globe Navigation Co.
  • Goodhue & Co.
  • G. Gordon
  • Gordon & Talbot
  • Grace Line (W. R. Grace & Co.)
  • Great Lakes Group (and Great Lakes Towing Company)
  • Great Lakes Transit Corp.
  • Great Northern Pacific SS Co.
  • Great Northern SS Co.
  • Great White Fleet
  • Green & Co.
  • Grinnell, Minturn & Co.
  • Grinnell, Minturn & Co. California Line
  • N. L. & G. Griswold
  • Griswold's Black X Line
  • J. M. Guffey Petroleum Co.
  • Gulf and South American SS Co.
  • Gulfcoast Trading Co.
  • Gulf Fleet Marine
  • Gulf Oil Corp.
  • Gulf Refining Co.

  • Halcyon SS Co.
  • Handy & Everett
  • Harbeck & Co.
  • Hart Line
  • Hawaii Textron
  • Hess Tankship
  • Hess Oil Co.
  • S. Hicks & Co Liverpool Line
  • Hillcone Steamship Co.
  • Hind, Rolph & Co.
  • T. Hogan & Sons (Manhanset Line)
  • Howland & Aspinwall
  • Hubbard & Co.
  • Hudson River Navigation Co. (Night Line)
  • Hudson Day Line
  • Hudson River Line
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co. Mobile Line
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co Apalachicola Line
  • E. D. Hurlbut & Co Pensacola Line
  • Huron Transportation Co.
  • Inland Lakes Management
  • Inland Navigation Co.
  • Inland Steel
  • Interisland Steam Navigation Co
  • Interlakes Steamship Co.
  • Interocean American Shipping Corp.
  • Interstate Navigation Co.
  • Isliandtsen Steamship Co.
  • Isthmian Steamship Co.
  • Ivaran Lines of Stockard SS Corp.

  • Jackson Marine Corp.
  • J. C. Gilchrist
  • J. H. Brown & Co.
  • J. M. Guffey Petroleum Co.
  • Johnes & Johnson
  • John J. Eagle & Co, New York
  • John Ogden Pioneer Line
  • Josiah Macy & Son
  • Joy Steamship Co.
  • J. S. Winslow & Co.
  •  
  • Kangaroo Line
  • Robert Kermit, later Kermit & Carrow
  • Keystone Shipping Co.
  • D. & A. Kingsland

  • Lachmar Corp., Inc.
  • Lafarge
  • Lake Champlain Transportation Co.
  • Lake Michigan Carferry Service
  • Lasco Shipping Co.
  • Laurin Maritime
  • L. G. Burnham & Co.
  • G. C. Lord & Co.
  • Lorillard Line
  • Los Angeles SS Co.
  • A. A. Low & Bro.
  • Luckenbach SS Co.
  • Lykes Brothers S.S. Co.

  • Josiah Macy & Son
  • Maine Steamship Co (Portland Line)
  • Mallory Line (New York & Texas Steamship Co)
  • Manhanset Line (T. Hogan & Sons)
  • Mannesmann Demag Material Handling Corp.
  • P.D. Marchessini & Co.
  • Marine Transport Corporation
  • Marine Transport Lines
  • Mason & Thompson
  • Mathiasen's Tanker Industries
  • Matson Navigation Co.
  • O. Mauran, New York
  • Mayflower SS Corp.
  • McAllister Bros. Inc.
  • McCormick Steamship Co
  • Donald McKay's Clippers
  • Merchants and Miners Transportation Co.
  • Merchants Express Line
  • Merchants Line for New Orleans
  • Merchants Line for Washington
  • Merritt-Chapman & Scott
  • Metropolitan Coal & Oil Co.
  • Metropolitan Steamship Co.
  • Mexico Shipping and Trading Company
  • Mississippi Shipping Co. (Delta Line)
  • Mobil Corporation (and its corporate predecessors)
  • Mobil Shipping and Transportation Co.
  • Moore-McCormack Co. (Mooremack)
  • Mooremack's Gulf [of Mexico] Line
  • Moran Towing & Transportation
  • Morgan Steamship Company (1905)
  • Morgan Line (Southern Pacific Steamship Company)(1934)
  • Edward Moltenius
  • Moran Towing and Transportation Company
  • Moses Taylor
  • Munson Steamship Company
  • Mystic Steamship Company (later Mystic Steamship Division of Eastern Gas & Fuel Associates)

  • Naess Shipping Co
  • Navios
  • Charles Nelson Steamship Co.
  • New England Fuel Transport Co
  • New York & Brazil Mail Line
  • New York & Charleston Steamship Co
  • New York & Cuba Mail SS Co. (Ward Line)
  • New York & Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Co. (Collins Line)
  • New York & Mexican Mail Line (Alexandre Line)
  • New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad Co
  • New York & Porto Rico SS Co (Porto Rico Line)
  • New York & South American Line
  • New York & Texas Steamship Co. (Mallory Line)
  • New York & West Indies SS Co
  • New York Waterways
  • N. L. & G. Griswold
  • Norfolk & Southern SS Co
  • North Atlantic & Gulf SS Co
  • North Pacific Steamship Co
  • Northwestern SS Co

  • Occidental and Oriental Steamship Co
  • Ocean Dominion Shipping Ltd.
  • Ocean SS Co of Savannah (Savannah Line)
  • Ocean Transportation Co
  • Oceanic and Oriental Navigation Co
  • Oceanic Steamship Company
  • Offshore Logistics International, Inc.
  • David Ogden (Red Cross Line or St. George Line)
  • John Ogden Pioneer Line
  • Oglebay Norton
  • Old Dominion Line
  • Olyphant, Talbot & Co
  • Olympic Steamship Co
  • O. Mauran, New York
  • O.M.I. Corp.
  • Ontario Car Ferry Co.
  • Ore SS Co.
  • Oriental Exporters, Inc.
  • Orion Shipping & Trading
  • Thomas Owen & Co.

  • Pacific Coast Steamship Company
  • Pacific Far East Line
  • Pacific Mail Steamship Co
  • The Palmer Fleet
  • Panama Railroad Steamship Co
  • Pan American Petroleum & Transport Co
  • Pan-Atlantic Steamship Corporation
  • Pan Ore Steamship Co
  • Patriarch SS Co
  • Henry W. Peabody's Australia Line
  • Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co
  • Penn Shipping Company
  • Permanente Steamship Corp
  • Philadelphia & Reading Transportation Line
  • Philadelphia & Southern Mail Steamship Co
  • Philadelphia Transatlantic Line (Charles M. Taylor's Sons)
  • Philippines, Micronesia and Orient Navigation Company
  • Phillips Petroleum Co
  • Pickands Mather Steamship Co
  • Pioneer Line of Australia Packets
  • Pittsburgh Steamship Company
  • Pocahontas Steamship Company
  • Polarus Steamship Company
  • Polish American Navigation Co.
  • Pollard Steamship Co.
  • Pope and Talbot Steamship Co.
  • Portland & Asiatic Steamship Co.
  • Portland Line (Maine Steamship Co.)
  • Prudential Steamship Corp.
  • Puerto Rico Towing & Barge Co.
  • Puget Sound Freight Line Inc.
  • Puget Sound Navigation Co.
  • Pure Oil Co.

  • Ravenscroft Shipping Inc.
  • Red Cross Line (David Ogden or St. George Line)
  • Red D Line (Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co.)
  • Red Star Packet Line
  • Reinauer Transportation
  • Reiss Steamship Co.
  • Richfield Oil Corp.
  • Rio Caribea Co. (Starboard Shipping Co.)
  • R. M. Demill
  • Robert Dollar & Co.
  • Robert Kermit, later Kermit & Carrow
  • Robin Line (Seas Shipping Co.)

  • Sabine Transportation Co.
  • Sampson & Tappan
  • S. Broom
  • S. C. Farnham & Co.
  • Scott & Morrell New Orleans Line
  • Scott & Morrell Savannah Line
  • Seabulk International
  • Sea-Land Services, Inc and CSX Lines
  • Sealift Inc.
  • Seas Shipping Co. (Robin Line)
  • Seatrain Lines
  • Seaways Shipping Corp.
  • Seven Seas Shipping Corp.
  • Arthur Sewall & Company
  • S. Gitcovich & Co.
  • Shamrock Chartering Co.
  • Shenango Furnace Co.
  • S. Hicks & Co Liverpool Line
  • Siffkin & Ironsides
  • Benjamin W. Silsbee
  • Sinclair Refining Co.
  • Skaarup Shipping Corp.
  • Snow & Bacon
  • Socony Mobil Oil Co.
  • Socony-Vacuum Oil Co
  • Soo Locks Boat Tours
  • South Atlantic Steamship Line
  • Southern States Line
  • Southern Steamship Co.
  • Spofford & Tileston
  • Sprague, Robinson & Co.
  • Sprague Steamship Co.
  • Standard Fruit and Steamship Co.
  • Standard Oil of California
  • Standard Oil Co.
  • Standard Oil Company of California
  • Standard Oil of New Jersey (Esso)
  • Standard Oil Company of New York
  • Standard Shipping Co.
  • Standard-Vacuum Oil Co.
  • Starboard Shipping Co. (Rio Caribea Co.)
  • States Marine Corp.
  • States Steamship Co. (States Line)
  • Statue of Liberty Ferry
  • T. J. Stevenson & Co. (Stevenson Lines)
  • St. George Line (David Ogden or Red Cross Line)
  • Stockard Steamship Co.
  • Ivaran Lines of Stockard SS Corp.
  • Stolt-Neilsen Inc.
  • Sturges & Co.
  • Sun Oil Co.
  • G. Sutton Charleston Line
  • Sutton & Co.
  • Sword Line
  • Swayne & Hoyt Lines

  • TAK Shipping
  • W. & J. T. Tapscott
  • Moses Taylor
  • Taylor & Hitch
  • Taylor and Merrill's Black Star Line
  • Terminal Steamship Co.
  • Texaco
  • Texas City Refining Co.
  • Texas Company (Texaco)
  • Texas Star Line
  • T. Hogan & Sons (Manhanset Line)
  • Thomas Coppack & Co.
  • Thomas Owen & Co.
  • Thomas Wardle & Co.
  • Tidewater Associated Oil Co.
  • Tidewater Marine Service Inc.
  • Tomlinson Fleet (Continental Steamship Co.)
  • G. A. Tomlinson
  • Enoch Train & Co.
  • Transoceanic Cable Ship Co.
  • Trinidad Corp.
  • Tropical Shipping Co., Ltd.
  • Tugz International L.L.Co.

  • Ultramar Shipping Co., Inc.
  • Union Barge Line
  • Union Ferry Company
  • Union (Havre) Line
  • Union Oil Co of California
  • Union Sulphur Co.
  • United American Lines (American Shipping and Commercial Corp)
  • United Fruit Company (Great White Fleet)
  • United States Lines
  • United States Steel (USS) Great Lakes Fleet Inc.
  • United States Transportation Co.
  • George B. Upton
  • USS Holding LLC

  • Vaccaro Brothers
  • Vacuum Oil Co. Inc.,
  • Valentine Chemical Carriers
  • Vanderbilt European Line
  • Victory Carriers

  • W. & J. T. Tapscott
  • Wait & Pierce
  • Ward Line (New York & Cuba Mail SS Co)
  • Thomas Wardle & Co.
  • George E. Warren Corporation
  • Warren Petroleum Co.
  • Waterman Steamship Corp.
  • Webb & Knapp
  • W. E. Bedmont
  • Benjamin Webster
  • Wells & Emanuel / Empire Line
  • West Coast Line
  • West Coast SS Co.
  • J.W. Westcott
  • Western Transportation Co.
  • Western Union Telegraph Co.
  • Westwood Shipping Co.
  • Wetmore & Cryder
  • William H. Whitlock, Jr.
  • Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co.
  • Williams & Guion Black Star Line
  • J. S. Winslow & Co.
  • Winsor Line
  • W. R. Grace & Co. (Race Line)

  • Zapata Gulf Marine Corp.
  • A. Zarega & Co

    Sources of information on US houseflags

    Some useful sources of information on US houseflags are:

    • Brown's Flags and Funnels, 1926 [wed26] and 1971 [stg71] editions
    • Stewart's Flags and Funnels 1953 [ste53] and 1963 [ssy63] editions
    • The 1934 National Geographic flags article [gsh34]
    • The US Navy's 1961 H.O. 100 [usn61]

    Other printed sources include extensive reliance on the shipping line advertisements, china, stationery, playing cards, etc., depicted on various internet sites, especially www.steamship.net (no longer available) and www.cabinclass.com. For nineteenth-century flags, I used a number of contemporary pictures reprinted in A. B. C. Whipple, The Clipper Ships (Alexandria, Va: Time-Life Books, 1980), particularly a chart that appears to be circa 1855 entitled "Private Signals of the Merchants of New York," which I cite throughout as PSMNY. In addition, the archives section of the site of the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, www.pem.org, has a large number of paintings, many of which are also in The Clipper Ships.

    For the background history on the various firms, companies, and lines, my main sources have been:

    • Rene de la Pedraja, A Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Merchant Marine and Shipping Industry Since the Introduction of Steam (Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1994)
    • N. R. P. Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway (New York: Arco Press, 1955-1975) (This five volume set also has descriptions of many of the house flags of these as well as non-US lines.)
    • Carl C. Cutler, Greyhounds of the Sea: The Story of the American Clipper Ship, 3rd ed. (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984; originally pub. 1930)

    For contemporary companies, I've checked when possible against the websites of the company's themselves.

    Joe McMillan, 19 August 2001