![[Cuban Steamship Co., Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfcub.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021 
Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
Keywords: cunard | white star | lion | star: 5 points (white) | globe |
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image by Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021
The company was formed in 1893 with two ships which were not only used for
tramping work, but also operated mainly to Cuba and the Caribbean. In 1911 a new
company Cayo Line was formed to own the Cayo Romano and by 1914 six ships were
owned. In 1916 the Cuban and Cayo companies sold all their ships and went into
liquidation. E. Bigland & Co were appointed to manage two vessels for The
Shipping Controller in 1918 but withdrew from shipowning in 1920.
Mariners L
http://mariners-list.com/site_pages.php?section=Shipping+Companies&category=English&page_name=E.Bigland+%26+Co%2FCuban+S.S.+Co.
All the company's ships were prefixed "Cayo ..."
Lloyd's Book of
House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Cuban Steamship Co., Ltd.
(E. Bigland & Co.) (#1673, p. 116), a London-based shipping company, as
swallow-tailed with slanted horizontal edges, horizontally divided red-yellow,
the black letters "C" and "L" in the red and yellow stripes, respectively.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#81
Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021
![[Cunard White Star houseflag]](../images/g/gb~cun.gif)
image
by Roger Moyer and António Martins, 14 Aug 1999
At the turn of the century the two principal British steamship lines
operating in the North Atlantic were the Cunard Steam Ship Company and
the White Star Company.
These two lines were amalgamated and became the
Cunard White Star Company, and for many years the ships of the
amalgamation flew the House Flags of both the Cunard and the White Star.
The Cunard flag, which used to be flown above that of the White star,
has a red field charged with a golden lion rampant guardant. The White
Star flag is a “broad pennant” with two tails and charged with a white
five-pointed star. In 1968 the flying of the White Star flag was
discontinued and only the Cunard flag is flown by Cunard ships.
Jarig Bakker, 14 Feb 1999, quoting
[bar71]
The lion holding a globe seems to be the crest of a coat
of arms (it is standing on a torse), making some sort of
pattern with the Bibby Line house
flag: Red flag with a golden crest on it. The lion
further shows surprisingly human features and a crown.
António Martins, 14 Aug 1999
Cunard Line. The flag was changed to the version shown in 1878 (some sources quote 1880) and any resemblance to human features probably lies in the viewers eyes. The lion may well have a benign (well fed) face but my guess is that the emblem is more a symbol of British pride and power originating in an uninhibited era. A study of video shots of the flag indicates that the lion emblem shown here is too large by around 25%. Unfortunately it was not possible to make out the finer detail apart from the fact that the lion is standing on a wreath, but the version shown here appears otherwise accurate unlike various sources where the portrayal varies for design with several omitting the wreath on which the lion stands whilst a couple omit the crown but I have not seen any suggestions that the design was ever altered so it would appear to have been unchanged since its inception. A swallow-tailed version is used by the fleet commodore.
Originated 1840 as the
British & North American Steam Packet Co. principally founded by Samuel Cunard,
becoming known as the Cunard Line and then in 1878 it was reformed as Cunard
Steam-Ship Co. Ltd. The original flag was a double pennant of blue with a white
saltire over plain red [see image below] and this flag is also
associated with D & C McIver, David McIver being a partner with Samuel Cunard in
the setting up of the new concern. Between around 1850-1880 another flag is
reported to have been flown at times, being a blue swallowtail with a white star
but its function is unclear. Such a flag is reputed to have been used by A.
Cunard & Sons of Nova Scotia for whom Samuel Cunard, who was born Canadian,
worked prior to going to England [no indication is given of their being
related]. Suggestions are that this flag was either a personal flag of Samuel or
was used by the senior captain of the time.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 February 2004
"Flags and Funnels of the British and
Commonwealth Merchant Fleets" shows this flag with a thin version of the
White Star Line as a streamer hoisted above it.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 June 2006
![[Cunard White Star houseflag]](../images/g/gb~b473.gif)
image by Rob Raeside
Abraham Cunard, an American loyalist of German extraction, moved north to Canada
after the War of Independence. His son Samuel became one of the leading
businessmen in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was awarded the Admiralty contract to
carry mail by steam ship across the North Atlantic and to carry out the
agreement founded the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet
Company. The mail service was inaugurated by 'Britannia' in 1840. In the 1850s
the company extended its services to take on a Liverpool-Mediterranean route. In
the early 1870s Cunard's supremacy in the North Atlantic was challenged by the
White Star Line; this revitalized the company's performance and it embarked on a
programme of new building.
The North Atlantic Companies were hard hit by the 1930s recession and in 1934
Cunard took over White Star to form the Cunard White Star Line. Competition from
air travel led to passenger retrenchment from the 1960s. The 'Queen Mary' and
'Queen Elizabeth' were sold but the company launched a new liner, the 'Queen
Elizabeth 2' in 1969. In the 1970s the company diversified into cargo carrying.
It is at present part of the American Carnival Corporation, with a fleet of
three ships, cruising worldwide, including on its traditional transatlantic
route."
Jarig Bakker, 10 August 2004
A different version appears here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chriscunard/4039433134/in/pool-house-flag, a
Flickr photo uploaded by Chris Frame on 24 Oct 2009. It is a red field, yellow
emblem consisting of the crest as described above, ensigned by a royal crown and
flanked by six laurel wreaths on each side, tied together by a ribbon at the
base. As used on peaked caps, apparently.
Jan Mertens, 29 November
2009
![[White Star Lines houseflag]](../images/g/gb~wstar.gif)
image
by Jorge Candeias, 14 Feb 1999
It’s a red burgee with a white 5-pointed star.
Jorge Candeias, 14 February 1999
The White
Star flag is a “broad pennant” with two tails and charged with a white
five-pointed star. In 1968 the flying of the White Star flag was
discontinued and only the Cunard flag is flown
by Cunard ships, except
on one day of the year, April 20th, when the two flags are flown
together in commemoration that this is the birthday of the last
surviving officer of the old White Star Line.
Jarig Bakker, 14 February 1999, quoting
[bar71]
White Star Lines. In 1867/8 the founder Thomas Henry Ismay bought the goodwill and flag of another White Star Line which had just
gone bankrupt and when he set up his company two years later the flag became
theirs. Sources relate this as though the flag remained unchanged but according
to Basil Lubbock in "The Colonial Clippers" the original flag has a star of 6
points. After the merger with Cunard the ex White Star ships flew their old flag
superior to that of Cunard whilst Cunard and all new tonnage reversed the
procedure so the sale of the last of these ships, "Britannic", for scrap in 1960
would have seen the end of the White Star flag on top. The fleet commodore used
a white bordered version. With regard to the once a year display of the two
flags at the end, another version gives it as April 20th being the anniversary
of the merger. One other point about these two companies and their merger is
that it was for the trans-Atlantic passenger trade only and The Cunard
Steam-Ship Co. Ltd. continued in its own right to operate its cargo ships on the
Mediterranean trade and it was the initial owner of 62% of Cunard White Star
Line, buying the balance in 1947 and then in 1949 bringing everything back under
its name.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 February 2004
Living near Liverpool, the original homeport of what was first the White Star
Line and later Cunard White Star, I often have occasion to pass by the Cunard
Building on the Liverpool waterfront. This is a massive structure exuding the
height of Edwardian self-importance, although it is quite nicely done up inside.
This was the original building from which the president of the line spoke to
thousands of friends and relatives of passengers and crew on the occasion of the
loss of RMS Titanic in 1912 and the sinking of RMS Lusitania in 1915. From time
to time I have seen this flag flying from the roof of the Cunard Building, but
it does not seem to be flown on any fixed basis or schedule; on some days one
can see it flying and on other days the flagstaff is bare.
Ron Lahav, 18 Febraury 2004
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as The White Star Line was a prominent ship operating company, most famous for its emigrant ship, the RMS Titanic. It was founded in Liverpool as the Aberdeen White Star Line by John Pilkington and Henry Threlfall Wilson, and focused on the Australian trade, which had recently increased following the discovery of gold there. It merged with other small lines, the Black Ball and Eagle Lines to form a conglomerate called the Liverpool, Melbourne and Oriental Steam Navigation Company Limited. It failed in October 1867. Thomas Ismay, a director of the National Line, purchased the bankrupt company in January 1868, with the intention of operating large ships on the North Atlantic service. He had formed a partnership with Sir Edward Harland of the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, to provide the ships and the shipbuilders received their first orders on 30 July 1869. As the first ship was being commissioned, Ismay formed the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company which absorbed the original Aberdeen White Star Line. In 1902, the White Star line was absorbed into the International Mercantile Marine (IMM), a large American shipping conglomerate. By 1903, IMM had managed to absorb the Dominion, Atlantic Transport, Leyland, and Red Star lines. They also came to trade agreements with the German lines Hamburg-Amerika and Norddeutscher-Lloyd. Bruce Ismay ceded control to IMM in the face of intense pressure from shareholders and J.P. Morgan.
The Cunard Line was the direct competition to White Star Line as their fame
and success mounted. In 1933, White Star and Cunard were both in serious
financial
difficulties because of the depression, falling passenger numbers and the
advanced age of their fleets, particularly, White Star's. In 1933, the British
government agreed to provide assistance to the two on the condition that they
merge. The merger took place on the 10th May, 1934, creating Cunard-White Star
Limited. The house flags of both lines were flown on all its ships until 1947
when Cunard bought the remainder of the White Star shares and the White Star
Line ceased to exist. For more details, see
this Wikipedia page.
Esteban Rivera, 29 June 2005
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag for
White Star Line (Ismay Emrie & Co., Ltd.) (#1423, p. 104).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#69
Ivan Sache, 30 April 2021
The Currie Line Ltd. was a Scottish company out of Leith with www.theshipslist.com giving origins dating back to 1800 eventually becoming the Leith, Hull and Hamburgh [later to become "Hamburg"] Steam Packet Co. in 1852 with James Currie joining the company in 1862. There seems to some confusion in their records as they refer to the takeover in 1919 of the Hull & Hamburg Line fleet [it is not clear whether they are referring to a company of that name or the Leith, Hull and Hamburg] previously managed by Donald Currie who was the brother of James, whereas my flag sources from 1885 are showing that James Currie was the operator of Leith, Hull & Hamburg. Whatever, it is clear that James Currie and Leith, Hull & Hamburg and the flag were all operating well before the 1913 date. James Currie would seem to have taken over the Leith, Hull & Hamburg company at some point, trading mainly through it until 1940 when its name was change to Currie Line Ltd. [Hamburg being considered inappropriate] and then in 1969 they were acquired by Anchor Line Ltd.
"Flags and Funnels of the British and
Commonwealth Merchant Fleets" shows this flag but shaped as a burgee (i.e.,
tapering), not as a rectangular swallowtail flag.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 June 2006
The original flag may have had a red border all around with the emblems being
centralised with such a version being shown by Reed
1891. However the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chart for 1885 shows a triband
format but as a tapered swallowtail and sources from thence have varied between
whether it was tapered or not with presumably the non tapered flag held by the
National Maritime Museum under the name of Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet
Co. Ltd. being the definitive.
Neale Rosanoski, 14 April 2005
Prior to 1862, the company (Leith, Hull & Hamburg S.P. Co.) was under the
control of Robert Barclay of Barclay, Curle Shipbuilders, Glasgow. Owing to ill
health, he sold the shipping company to the brothers Donald and James Currie.
Copies of old letters show that Donald Currie acted as the principal director
while James took over the management. The Company was now known as the Leith,
Hull & Hamburg S.P. Co.- Managers James Currie & Co.
Donald
Currie owned a further two companies, the first was the well known
Castle Line which later amalgamated with the
Union S.S. Co. to form the Union Castle Line. The
second concern was the Liverpool & Hamburg Line of Liverpool which ran cargo
services from Liverpool, Manchester, Preston & Glasgow to Germany and the
Baltic. In 1871, a couple of vessels were transferred from the Leith company to
run private mails from Dartmouth to South Africa.
After the
Great War, the Liverpool & Hamburg Line was taken over and managed by the Leith
company but the routes continued to operate until after WW11 when a severe
decline in trade made them redundant. In 1940 the company became a public
concern under the name of Currie Line Ltd.
HOUSEFLAGS
1) Donald
Currie’s Liverpool & Hamburg Line, Liverpool (see also Castle Mail Packet Co.)
![[Currie Line houseflag]](../images/g/gb~lhl.gif)
image by Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
2) Leith, Hull and Hamburg Steam Packet Co., Leith (see
also Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Co. Ltd.)
A)
First Known Flag
![[Currie Line houseflag]](../images/g/gb~lhh1.gif)
image by Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
B) flag from late 19th
Century to 1940 approx.
![[Currie Line houseflag]](../images/g/gb~lhh2.gif)
image by Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
C) Main flag from
1940 approx
![[Currie Line houseflag]](../images/g/gb~lhh3.gif)
image by Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
D) Commodore captain / ship
![[Currie Line houseflag]](../images/g/gb~lhhc.gif)
image by Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
Please note that the bottom cross is not a
‘plus’ cross but more like the letter “T” when
crossed. This error has been repeated in many of the reputable books
regarding flags and funnels. The change to a rectangular flag after WW11
seems to have been made unofficially, as perhaps it was easier to make than a
burgee.
Although I have access to most of the company records, I have
never found out the significance of the flag. I have consulted many experts
on the subject including the great grandson of James Currie, the appropriate
members of the World Ship Society and various libraries and museums.
Ian Thomson,
3 September 2009
![[Curwen Bros. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfcur.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 26 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Curwen
Bros. (#676, p. 69), a Liverpool-based company, as red with the white lozenge "C
B".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/34/
Ivan
Sache, 26 April 2021
![[James R. Cuthbertson & Co. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfjcu.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 29 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of James R.
Cuthbertson & Co. (#1189, p. 93), a Glasgow-based company, as blue with a white
saltire.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#58
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021
![[Cuthbert Wilkinson houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfcwi.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
Cuthbert Wilkinson, "coal exporter and shipowner on a large scale", was born in
Sunderland in 1860. He was a member of the Sunderland Corporation, of the River
Wear Commission, and of the River Wear Watch Commission. Appointed Provincial
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Durham in 1935, Wilkinson died the next year.
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Cuthbert Wilkinson (#1816, p. 123) as white with a blue border and a black "W"
in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#88
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021
![[G.P. Cutting & Co. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfgpc.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 24 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of G.P.
Cutting & Co. (#492, p. 60), a South Shields-based company, as triangular, white
with a red disc at hoist.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#25
Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021
British Shipping lines: continued
