House Flags of German Shipping Companies (w) - part 2

Last modified: 2012-04-03 by german editorial team
Keywords: wieczorek | wieting hochseefischerei | wilckens(jhl) | wilckens(wilhelm) | wille | williamson | winter | witt and buesch | wittheim | woermann linie | wuebbe nachfolger | wulf(otto) |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | random flag | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• André Wieczorek
• Hochseefischerei J. Wieting
• J.H.L. Wilckens
• Wilhelm Wilckens
• Th. Wille
• J.O.Williamson
• J.E.A. Wimmer & Co
• Gebr. Winter
• Heino Winter
• Witt & Büsch
• Peter Wittheim
• Woermann Line
• H.H. Wübbe Nachfolger
• Otto Wulf

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

André Wieczorek

The German, Hamburg based shipping company ‘André Wieczorek’ (named after the Managing Director, a Captain) maintains a website, English version available (click flaglet at bottom page): We learn (‘About us’ section) that this firm manages “smaller container vessels up to 1000 TEU with main focus on vessels up to 500 TEU. This so called feeder section performed best stability in charter rates over the last decades. Other important sections of [this] company are (...) multi-purpose vessels [for] transport [of] containers as well as heavy cargo.”

Founded in 1985, its ships often chartered by famous firms such as Wagenborg, ‘André Wieczorek’ fairly recently (2005) started cooperating with ‘Walther Möller & Co. GmbH & Co.’, local shipbroker.

Fleet description (nine ships at present; flag state, where seen, Antigua) via left menu.
This is a table flag (slightly reduced) found on German eBay: offer no. 290064089752 (end 25 Dec 2006) put up by “shipflag”, dimensions given as approx. 15 [cm] x 25 [cm].
Dark blue field bearing a red lying rectangle, fimbriated white; over the rectangle and extending into the blue field is a white initial ‘A’ (no serifs) the horizontal bar of which is replaced by a white wavy stripe, fimbriated red.
Further link: Walther Möller (flagoid).
Jan Mertens, 4 Feb 2009

Hochseefischerei J. Wieting

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "Hochseefischerei J. Wieting A.G." (#320, p. 52), a company based in  Bremerhaven, as white with a black "W" in the middle.
Ivan Sache, 27 Apr 2008

J.H.L. Wilckens

J.H.L. Wilckens - The company was established in 1884 by Julius Leonhard Heinrich Wilckens, a man from Altona, who was signing clerk of the shipbrokers Rettmeyer & Hessenmüller. Wilckens became owner of this company after the death of both partners. In May 1900 the last ship was sold to a company in Senegal and the company was dissolved.
The company used a red flag with a white bend sinister. Within the bend are four blue lines forming a lozenge.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.141ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Apr 2007

Wilhelm Wilckens

The company was located in Wedel near Hamburg. It was a black over white over red horizontal tricolour. In the middle of the white stripe were two black Vs forming a "W".
Source: "Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT"; Hamburg 1957; p.F30
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 April 2009

Th. Wille

The flag is a triangular blue flag with the company's initials in white: "T.W.". And the caption reads "Th. Wille".
Jorge Candeias, 6 Jan 2005

This must be the Th(eodor) Wille in question - we see his gravestone here. Dates 1818-1892. Founded a coffee export firm in Brazil in 1844, back in 1847 and active in insurance and shipping (not only in Germany but also in Brazil: fisheries, first telephone grid in Rio de Janeiro), helped found the well-known Commerzbank, left a fortune to Kiel (his hometown) to be used for education (university etc.).
Jan Mertens, 7 Jan 2005

J.O.Williamson

J.O.Williamson - This company had a white flag with a red centred cross and a white 5-point star in a  blue canton.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Mar 2007

J.E.A. Wimmer & Co

J.E.A. Wimmer & Co - In 1887 Johannes Eduard Alfred Wimmer, a Hamburg merchant established a shipping company. Though he settled down in 1898 in Lisbon the company remained in Hamburg. Wimmer chose a partner in 1907. Since then to the company's name was added the "Co.". The company moved to
Lisbon the same year but the ships stayed in the Hamburg ship-register. When Portugal joined WWI his last ships were confiscated by Portuguese government. Wimmer failed in reestablishing his company after WWI.
The colours in the flag are those of Portugal. The flag was white with a green bend sinister, a red capital "J" in the upper hoist and a red capital "W" in the lower fly.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.144ff.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Apr 2007

Gebr. Winter

Gebr[üder] (“Brothers”) Winter is a German shipping company established at Hamburg.  Website (in English): From the ‘Company’ section (subsection ‘Background and History’) we learn that the Winter family has been active in shipping for a very long time now: inland shipping on the River Elbe “for many centuries” followed by maritime shipping from 1900 on.  The current firm was founded in 1970 by brothers Harald and Jakob, and the next generation is now learning the trade.  The ‘History’ subsection lists the various ships evolving from a small wooden vessel to the current freighter and container ships.

The second ‘Fleet’ picture (photo carrousel) shows the house flag, also shown as a drawing on the site, together with the flag of Antigua flag which flies on most of the ships -  some are German registered.  But to the house flag, attached as < de~gwin.jpg> (photo detail taken from site): white with narrow horizontal edges black-white-light blue (upper edge) and the reverse (lower edge), in the centre a large red initial ‘W’ in Gothic script.

For better detail see attachment < de~gwin2.jpg> which is a table flag found – where else – on German eBay: offer no. 290081384592 (end 18 Feb 2007) put up by “shipflag”; dimensions given as approx. 15 cm x 25 cm.  This item will help in determining the width of the various stripes – something like 1:5:1 not counting the thin blue lines, of course.
Jan Mertens, 15 May 2008

Heino Winter

Heinz Winter, K.G., Jork - triband NWN, on white small "H" above large "W", all black.
Jork is a few kms west of Hamburg along the Elbe river.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2005

This Flag is by the company "Heino Winter".
Heino is the cousin of Harald and Jakob Winter.
Carsten Möller, 9 Jun 2010

Witt & Büsch

The flag is a red saltire on white, with two initials in the hoist and fly quarters: W and B. I think they are blue, but there are some doubts there. In the caption there are also some doubts, but not many: it's something like Will & Büsch.
Jorge Candeias, 23 Dec 2004

I'm inclined to think it's 'Witt & Büsch' as there are traces (on the net) of such a firm engaged in African colonial trade (with German Cameroun, for instance) and cooperating with Woermann.
Jan Mertens, 27 Dec 2004

Peter Wittheim

The company was located in Heiligenstedten. The flag was divided per saltire into white (hoist and fly), blue (top) and red (bottom), the colours of Schelswig-Holstein. In the white quarters were black capitals "P"(hoist) and "W"(fly).
Source: "Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT"; Hamburg 1957; p.F30
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 April 2009

Woermann Line

The company originated 1.10.1837 with Carl Woermann forming C. Woermann with the shipping department becoming Woermann- Linie A.G. in 1885. Wiped out by WW2 their shipping activities were gradually resumed but not as Woermann-Linie A.G., going by Lloyds, being instead under Deutshe Afrika-Linien GmbH & Co. operation until 1990 when it seems that "Woermann" shipping title was sold to CMB N.V. when the livery presumably came to an end although the "Woermann" in a ship name lasted another decade.

C. Woermann GmbH & Co. K.G. was reconstructed  in 1985 and continues to operate as importers with their website showing their original flag which is the "Variant" shown by Jarig from Brown 1926, though with a bit wider border,  which apparently dates from the start according to Talbot-Booth and is shown is shown by sources from 1885. Some sources [Reed 1901, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 1909 and Larousse Commercial Illustrié 1930] also show this version with the blue being a frame within the field as with the 1st flag shown. The 1st version, being the change, is shown by all other sources from Brown 1929, except for the German Cigarette cards albums of Massary and Lloyd of the 1930s which show the blue as a border, not an inset frame, and have black letters, not blue.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 Sep 2009

Woermann Line variant

Image of the Woermann Linie, Hamburg, after Brown's Flags and Funnels, 1926.
Jarig Bakker, 9 May 2004

H.H. Wübbe Nachfolger

H.H. Wübbe Nachfolger, Hamburg - hor. BWB flag, in center red "W".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 17 Dec 2005

The correct name is HH Wübbe Nachfolger. You may write Wuebbe instead. The company still exists and its office is either on Vorsetzen or Johannisbollwerk (streetnames) and the flag is the same as depicted on FOTW.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Mar 2007

Otto Wulf

This page lists German firms operating tugs, one of them being Otto Wulf [GmbH & Co. KG] of Cuxhaven on the mouth of the River Elbe: There is a drawing of the house flag, vertically divided RWR with a black initial ‘W’ on the middle stripe, but on none of the tug photos linked to this flag is in evidence although it appears on most funnels.

Still, there is this, found on German eBay, showing the division of stripes as being 1:2:1.  This was offer no. 120135696059 (end 1 Jul 2007) put up by “vexillologe”.  Dimensions of table flag given as 16 cm x 24 cm.

Company website (again, a flag drawing), in English: Founded in 1921 by Otto Wulf, active in diving (hence “Taucher”) and salvaging, the firm is still family-owned - fourth generation by now.  Business has developed to include towage and transport. The company seat is Cuxhaven; a branch at Rostock, former GDR, was opened in 1993. The ‘Fleet’ section presents six tugs (not all details were accessible when checking) and two
specialized pontoons.  No house flag sighted in the ‘Photos’ section nor on Shipspotting or Tugspotters.  But here it can be made out.
Jan Mertens, 1 Aug 2008

back to W-companies main page click here