Last modified: 2019-08-13 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: gribel | stettin-rigaer dg | stettiner dampfer-compagnie | neue dampfer-compagnie(stettin) | ndc | renata dg | renata-lina dg | deutsche orient |
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![[Rud. Christ. Gribel variant]](../images/d/de~rcgri.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Apr 2009
Recently, in presenting the "Seedienst Ostpreussen" house flag, one of its founding members i.e. the Gribel company, was mentioned. This firm was based at Stettin.
The house flag is vertically divided blue-white and bears the counterchanged letters RCG. It is also shown as in Lloyd 1912 image no. 748 : i.e. "Rud. Christ. Gribel, Stettin" but adds a dot after each letter ("RCG" stands for Rudolf Christian Gribel).
We learn that the firm was established in 1773. As to the firm's history, I have found very little. On the web there are accounts of vessels commandeered to serve as hospital ships at the end of WW2 but I was unable to determine when Gribel stopped, or had to stop, its activities. According to a poster from 1910 the company offered winter sailings to Reval (now Tallinn) and Helsingfors (Helsinki).
Sources: 1) obsolete webpage: http://www.ostsee-urlaub-polen.de/stettin-szczecin/geschichte-baederverkehr.htm#
2) poster 1910, found on obsolete page http://www.dhm.de/datenbank/index.html?/datenbank/pli1/pli12916.htm
Jan Mertens, 19 June 2005
Gribel was Germany's oldest shipping company. The patron was born on 14 January 1747 in Kirchwerder, today Hamburg-Bergedorf. He learned the profession of a wine trader and went to Stettin in 1767. Just on his birthday in 1773 he became partner of Noack & Gribel wine trading. He became the only owner in 1779 and extended his business also to grain. Since then he became partner of several sailing ships.
His descendants later were establishing several steamship companies in 1871, 1874, 1879 and 1880. Since 1899 there were only steamships left. In 1944 Consul Eduard Gribel opened a branch in Lübeck. He died on board of SS BRANDENBURG, which had been his home after the destruction of Lübeck in WW2 in 1947. The company was diddolved in 1979.
Klaus-Peter Bühne; translated by Klaus-Michael Schneider.
Description of flag: Here we have a variant vertically counterchanged into blue and white, the capitals undotted.
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen", 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.20
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Apr 2009
According to Klaus-Peter Bühne Gribel established the following companies:
Stettin-Kopenhagener Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft (1871)
Stettin-Rigaer Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft (1874)
"Renata" Dampfscchiffahrts-Gesellschaft Theodor Griebel aA (1879)
Stettin-Stockholmer Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft (1880)
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 July 2019
![[Rud. Christ. Gribel]](../images/d/de~rcg.gif)
image by Jorge Candeias, 5 Dec 2004
The company is located in Lübeck and has a flag vertical blue-white with sans serifed countercharged letters acc. to Wolter's See und Seefahrt, 1968
The flag here consists of a vertical blue and white bicolour, charged with large white capitals, fimbriated in black: "R.C.G."
Jarig Bakker and Jorge Candeias, 5 Dec 2004
![[Stettin Rigaer Dampfschiff Gesellschaft]](../images/d/de~rcg-sr.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 July 2019
The company was based in Stettin. The flag was a blue-white vertical bicolour with dotted inscription in counterchanged colours "ST.R.D.G.".
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.15, image no.235
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 July 2019
The company, founded in 1855, registered in 1862, had 22 steamers until WW!, but lost sven of them and due to the Treaty of Versailles another four ships were confiscated as reparations. The fleet increased up to 38 steamers by new building and acquisition until 1923 and was again renamed in the same year, becoming the Stettiner Dampfer-Compagnie A.G.. It was active in the Baltic and the North Sea and even, regularly, in the Orient, operated by its daughter Deutsche Orient Linie. Starting service in1924, there was close cooperation with the HAPAG and Roland Linie companies under the direction of the Deutsche Levante-Linie; firm liquidated end 1930. As the number of railway lines, also heading for the same targets and being quicker, increased, shipping was no longer on a competitive basis and the company was dissolved by its shareholders in 1930.
(PS: another company named "NDC", founded 1886, was engaged in local shipping at Kiel. The ships were nicknamed the "Black Steamers".).
Sources: Lloyd 1912, image no.601 and Dieter Engel's webpage
Jan Mertens, 8 Dec 2004 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 July 2019
![[Neue Dampfer-Compagnie Stettin #1]](../images/d/de~rcg-ndc.gif) image by Jorge Candeias, 7 Dec 2004 |
![[Neue Dampfer-Compagnie Stettin #2]](../images/d/de~rcg-nd2.gif) image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 July 2019 |
The flag is a red over white bicolour, charged with black capitals "NDC" across the center. Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.13, image no.104 displayed a variant with serifed and dotted inscription "N.D.C.".
Jorge Candeias, 7 Dec 2004 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 July 2019
![[Neue Dampfer-Compagnie (Stettin) blue]](../images/d/de~ndc2.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019
The company was based in Stettin. The flag was blue with inscription in white initials "NEUE (1st line) DAMPFER (2nd line) COMPAGNIE (3rd line)", in upper hoist the crowned head of a red griffin.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.22, image no.627
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 July 2019
![[Stettiner Dampfer-Compagnie]](../images/d/de~sdc.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, based on image sent by Jan Mertens, 21 Oct 2008
Source below added a brochure of the company a few day ago: "undated; 1924 in handwriting on cover". The company had six vessels and operated the following lines:
1) Stettin Reval (Tallinn)
2) Stettin Leningrad
3) Stettin Stockholm
We are shown the new house flag: white with a saltire in the national colours then current, black-white-red; in the centre is a black lozenge within a narrow white border visible against the background mainly thanks to a black holding line; in the lozenge appear the company initials "SDC", in white, and serifed.
The ships PREUSSEN and OBERBÜRGERMEISTER HAKEN were on the Leningrad line in 1922; the PREUSSEN also in 1928 and still in 1931, after having been sold to Rud. Christ. Gribel. The latter company had also bought the STRASSBURG and WARTBURG, which are known to have been used on the Reval route in 1928 and 1931.
Source: Maritime Timetable Images
Jan Mertens, 21 Oct 2008 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 July 2019
![[RENATA Dampfschiff Gesellschaft]](../images/d/de~rcg-re.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 July 2019
The Stettiner Dampfer-Compagnie pops up in 1933 with slightly different flag, saltire is black-red-gold instead of black-white-red, as RENATA Dampfschiff Gesellschaft Th. Gribel KG aA, based in Stettin. In 1933 the company ran 20 freighters in the Baltic.
Source: Lloyd 1933, p.16, image no. 102
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 July 2019
![[RENATA und LINA Dampfschiff Gesellschaft]](../images/d/de~rcg-rl.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 July 2019
Earlier there was a RENATA und LINA Dampfschiff Gesellschaft Rud. Christ. Gribel, based in Stettin, displaying the Gribel houseflag with dotted initials, probably being the predecessor of the above company and named after its only ships.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.15, image no.229
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 July 2019
![[Deutsche Orient Linie]](../images/d/de~dol.gif)
image by Jarig Bakker, 10 Feb 2005
Deutsche Orient Linie, Stettin - white flag, white saltire bordered red and black; in center black diamond contoured white; white "DOL".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 10 Feb 2005
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