House Flags of German Shipping Companies (g) - part 1

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (g) - Teil 1

Last modified: 2019-08-18 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: gabel | gaiser | gall seitz | garms | gefo | gemco | gemeinwirtschaftliche kohlen hg | gerhard hey | gerhard brzoska | gerhardt(ej) | german tanker | geuther | germania(reederei) | gande-sachen | giese | gerlach |
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• C.G. Gabel
• G. L. Gaiser
• Gall & Seitz
• Gande & Sachen
• O.Garms & Sohn
• GEFO
• C. E. Geiss
• GEMCO
• Gemeinwirtschaftliche Kohlen HandelsGesellschaft
• Reederei Gerdes Gruppe
• Gerhard & Hey
• Gerhard U. Brzoska
• E.J.Gerhardt, Schifffahrt & Verwaltung GmbH
• Hans Gerlach
• German Tanker Shipping
• Reederei Gesellschaft Germania
• Karl Geuther
• H. C. R. Giese
• J. & C. Giese
• Otto Giese

• House Flags of German Shipping Companies
• House Flags of Shipping Companies
• Germany

C.G. Gabel

C.G.Gabel - Christian Gustav Gabel was partner of the shipping company Knöhr & Burchard which still exists. Sometimes he supplied ships on his own risk in the 80ies and 90ies of the 19th century. He acquired his 1st ship in 1882. The last ship was sold in 1909 and the company disappeared.
The company used nearly the same flag as Japan. Its a white flag with a red roundel in its centre. The flag should probably mark the connections with Knöhr und Burchard who used a blue roundel.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.89ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 Mar 2007

G. L. Gaiser

The flag is white with a red border all around and black initials along the center, reading "GLG".
Jorge Candeias, 1 Jan 2005

The company was based in Hamburg. It must have been a firm engaged in trading with Nigeria, founded around 1850 and still active in the 1960's... according to a few faint traces on the internet...
Source: Massary 1928, series 1, image no.349
Jan Mertens, 2 Jan 2005

Gall & Seitz

Gall & Seitz Systems GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, fit into the house flag scheme on the strength of their ship repair business, otherwise the firm is kept busy enough as a provider of pipe systems and remanufacturing spare parts. Gall & Seitz cooperate with NDS (Nippon Diesel Service). For further information click here
The house flag is divided per saltire, white (hoist, fly) and blue (top,bottom); in the centre is placed a black cogwheel encircling a black ampersand "&"neatly connecting the company initials "G" (hoist) and "S" (fly), also black.
Jan Mertens, 3 Jun 2011

Gande & Sachen

The company was based in Bremen. The flag was blue, divided by a white saltire, in centre a white rectangle with red inscription "G&S".
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.22, image no.626
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019

O.Garms & Sohn

O.Garms & Sohn
The company was located in Königreich (Jork, SW Hamburg). It was a yellow flag divided horizontally  yellow over white over red over blue over red over white over yellow with estimated ratio of 2:1:1:12:1:1:2. In the middle of the blue stripe is a red capital "G".
Source: "Flaggen, Schornsteine, Reedereien- Flaggen und Schornsteine der deutschen Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT", Hamburg 1957; p.F9.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Apr 2009

GEFO

GEFO Gesellschaft für Oeltransporte m.b.H. & Co., Hamburg - blue - yellow - blue horizontal triband; in center black "GEFO".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 9 Nov 2005

GEFO is  "Company for Oil Transportation Ltd". company website: The various departments are neatly summed up: deep-sea transportation of chemicals, gas tankers (based at Sas van Gent, NL), chemicals (based at Merksem/Antwerp, BE), oil ("80 Rhinetankers for mineral oil") and bunkering. Of the branches or firms mentioned under "The Company" I still have to get to know Unitas at Antwerp or Oceanflag Cyprus; Hansa Hamburg is a shipping investor.
It is clear that GEFO is active on the high seas as well as on inland waterways. 
Jan Mertens, 13 Mar 2006

C. E. Geiss

The company was based in Stolpmünde. In the 1930ies it operated in the Baltic and had four freighters.
The flag was in style of August Bolten ,white with red bordure, parted by a red saltire, in centre a white disc fimbriated red and a black inscription "C" (hoist) "E" (in disc) and "G" (fly).
Sources: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.12, image no.81 and Lloyd 1933, p.9, image no. 39
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

GEMCO

GEMCO Schiffahrts- und Handelsges. mbH (Gemco Shipping and Trading Co. Ltd) is a German inland navigation company established in Duisburg, where the Ruhr River meets the Rhine.
Last year, a Gemco flag was offered on eBay under no. 6535951662 between 29 May and 8 June: a green flag with a white ascending diagonal stripe on which is placed the (short) company name in green letters without serifs. Oddly, the firm?s website shows the letters in black:

Some facts gleaned from above site: during the 1950s, Mr G. Möller established a towage firm bearing his name. As Gerd Möller & Co. the company expanded its inland shipping activities to the Benelux countries. Mr Günter Ohm joined the firm in 1987 which he would acquire eight years later.  France was added to the area of operations.
It seems that now more than three hundred private shippers from four countries are working for Gemco who arrange single transport runs as well as long-term deals.  The company lists a number of various kinds of freight but summarizes them, simply, as all goods which may be carried by a vessel.
Jan Mertens, 5 Apr 2006

Gemeinwirtschaftliche Kohlen HandelsGesellschaft

Gemeinwirtschaftliche Kohlen HandelsGesellschaft mbH (belongs to K.R. Fisser & v. Doornum)
The company was located in Emden. It is a red over white over red horizontal triband with red capitals "GKGL" in the white stripe.
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.19
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Mar 2009

Reederei Gerdes Gruppe

The company is based in Haren upon Ems. It is a white flag with central dark blue stripe, over all a light blue diamond four times frayed white and charged with a dark blue "G". (see also: company's website)
Source: spotted on 26 April 2017 in Brønnøysund
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 May 2017 and Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 25 May 2017

Gerhard U. Brzoska

Gerhard U. Brzoska, Stade - horizontal RWR; on white blue diamond, white "GUB".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 23 Nov 2005

Gerhard & Hey

The company was based in Hamburg, red flag, white "G&H".
Sources: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26] and Lloyd 1912, No. 729
Jan Mertens, 29 Nov 2004 and Jarig Bakker, 28 Jan 2005

E.J.Gerhardt, Schifffahrt & Verwaltung GmbH

The company is located at Rügenweg 13 in Minden/Westfalen. Ernst J. Gerhardt was born in 1942 in Zehdenick/Havel. He worked as a crewman and later as a captain on the ships of his parent's company. In 1973 he bought his first own ship. In 1977 he bought a bigger one, which was chartered by TG ELBIA. Gerhardt was member of the board of ELBIA Eilfracht TG e.G. and in the association of independent entrepreneurs/employers and had a few honorary posts in inland shipping associations. In 1984 he established his own company in Minden, mainly dealing with tanker shipping. He is member of the tanker ship commission under the roof of BDB. In 2003 he and Martin Deymann (Haren) founded the Tankschiffsreederei Gerhardt & Deymann. But the cooperation wasn't successful. Rhough Belgian company INTERMARES joined G&D the cooperation between Gerhardt & Deymann ended in 2006.
Source: Klaus-Peter Bühne, translated by Klaus-Michael Schneider

It is a 5-stripes flag with alternating, horizontal stripes of red and white. A white lying oval, taking nearly total height of flag, is superimposing the stripes. The oval has a broad yellow fimbriation and the company logo, consisting of the letters "E","J" and "G"(bigger).
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Mar 2009

E.J.Gerhardt Schifffahrt & Verwaltung GmbH. On their obsolete website (http://gerhardt-schiffahrt.de) there were a couple of flag images, which show the oval having straight top and bottom sides and also that the letters are slanted.The funnel is coloured as per the flag but with the letters erect but shows their makeup in clearer detail. I have two photos of  vessels flying the flag, in one the letters look slanted whilst in the other they look erect, but with both flapping it is inconclusive.
Neale Rosanoski, 10 Apr 2009

Hans Gerlach

Schleppschiffahrt Hans Gerlach, i.e. tugboat shipping, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was black with yellow horizontal edges, in centre was a disc, quartered of red and blue by a yellow saltire.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Aug 2019

German Tanker Shipping

German Tanker Shipping was established in Bremen in 1998. The company operates 12 tankers, all of them sailing under the German flag, named after sea fishes (MT SEATURBOT to MT SEAMARLIN).

The house flag of German Tanker Shipping, shown as a graphic on the company website, is quartered per saltire blue-white with the letters "G" and "T" in the left and right white quarters, respectively.
Ivan Sache, 7 Mar 2008

See the full size item on this clickable photo: (not a very common font for a house flag).  The flag on the right represents the Lindenau wharf at Kiel.
Jan Mertens, 7 Mar 2008

Reederei Gesellschaft Germania

The company was based in Geestemünde. The flag was white, divided by a black saltire and over all a red lozenge in centre.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.16, image no.281
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 July 2019

Karl Geuther

Here is the website of Karl Geuther & Co., - houseflag: white with red flydiagonal strip of c. 1/3 flagheight; in center blue capitals KG outlined white.
Dov Gutterman, 2 Nov 2003

Homepage (English version available): This versatile firm (shipping, stevedoring, freight forwarding, mail-order business, travel and tourism, ferry bookings), founded in 1958, shows a tiny house flag on the company website. The red stripe behind the blue initials is not a straight stripe (diagonal) I am afraid, but rather a bowed stripe getting slightly thinner towards the top. Also the fimbriated blue initials are linked together in such a way that an arrow is seen to point backwards from "G" to "K".
See image from German eBay offer no. 290064096504 (end 25 Dec 2006), table flag put up by "shipflag", dimensions given: approx. 15 [cm] x 24 [cm].
Jan Mertens, 16 Feb 2010

H.C.R. Giese

Schleppschiffahrt H.C.R. Giese, i.e. tugboat shipping, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was white, in centre was a red disc, superimposed by a blue equilateral triangle.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Aug 2019

J. & C. Giese

Schleppschiffahrt J. & C. Giese, i.e. tugboat shipping, a company based in Hamburg. The flag was white with blue horizontal edges, in centre was a red disc, superimposed by a blue equilateral triangle.
Source: Schnall funnel chart 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Aug 2019

Otto Giese

The company was located in Bremen. It is a white flag divided by a black centred cross. In its centre is a white disc fimbriated black and containing a red capital "G".
Source: "Flaggen, Schornsteine, Reedereien- Flaggen und Schornsteine der deutschen Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT", Hamburg 1957; p.F10.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Apr 2009

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