Last modified: 2008-09-06 by
Keywords: hamburg süd | columbus line | hsdg |
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![[Columbus Line / HSDG houseflag]](../images/d/de~hsdg.gif)
image by Jorge Candeias, 27 Dec 2004
Red and white are the Hanseatic colours and also those of Hamburg. Compare with Columbus Line house flag.
Santiago Dotor, 10 May 2005
The background of this flag has been commented on under Columbus Line, i.e. it appears as a logo on the Hamburg-Süd site and may exist as a group flag. However the Hamburg-Süd shipping company has its own flag which is confirmed by a photo also appearing on this site, which has the black letters "HSDG" in the respective quarters (see below). This company originated in 1871 as the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, [Hamburg South American Steam Packet Co.] changing 1952 to its current name of Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts-Ges. Eggert u. Amsinck. In 1973 it amalgamated with Dr. August Oetker Schiffahrts und Beteiligungs GmbH though retaining its name, the Dr. August Oetker company having taken control of Hamburg-Süd in 1952 after originally obtaining an interest in 1934 and today the company is a subsidiary of Rudolf A. Oetker with most of its fleet now listed under the associate Columbus Shipmanagement GmbH. The group has used Hamburg-Süd as a brand name, originally for sections of its businesss but from 1Jan 2004 this includes areas formerly under the Columbus and Crowley American Transport brands though the Aliança and Ellerman brand names also continue to be used.
Neale Rosanoski, 18 Oct 2004
![[HSDG dotted houseflag]](../images/d/de~hs12.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Sep 2008
Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft
Description of flag: The flag is divided per saltire into red(hoist and fly) and white(top and bottom. In each quarter are dotted, bold, black capitals as follows:”H.”(top), “S.”(hoist), “D.”(fly) and “G.”(bottom)
Source: My image is based on a poster dated before 1914. The poster is displayed in: Carsten PRANGE: “Auf zur Reise durch Hamburgs Geschichte – A journey through Hamburg’s history”, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-920384-35-0, p.121.
There is also an image of that flag in Lloyds flags and funnels, 1912. The flag is displayed on p.39 with flag- no.59. The funnel is black. There is another flag on p.92 with flag-no.1156. The funnel is yellow and the characters are not as bold as in no.59. So for me it seems to be more or less the same flag. So this flag can be dated from 1912.
Note: On p.120 of PRANGE there is another poster of Hamburg-Süd with undotted characters. The poster also says that the Brazil line of Hamburg Süd was run together with A.C. de Freitas & Co.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Sep 2008
Columbus Lines. The Columbus name was basically a trade name for Hamburg- Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft Eggert & Amsinck becoming associated with their container trade commencing 1963 in relation to the North American to Australia/New Zealand trade. As from 1 Jan 2004 this trade name was dropped in favour of the Hamburg-Süd brand name which is used by the Group although the name continues with the subsidiary Columbus Shipmanagement GmbH formed 1998. According to Loughran 1979 Columbus Linie used the Hamburg-Süd flag which is the flag shown with the addition of the black letters "HSDG". The version here (somewhat faded in colour and identical with that shown for Hamburg-Süd) appears as a logo on the Hamburg-Süd site but whether it is used as an actual flag is unclear whereas the "HSDG" version is shown as an actual flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 13 Oct 2004
The flag drawn by Thanh-Tam Le might be around somewhere in this world but has nothing to do with Columbus Line or HSDG. (I sailed with Columbus Line and Hamburg-Sued from 1961-66 as a deck officer.). Columbus Line came into being in 1957 when HSDG re-activated a pre-war liner service linking the US and Canada with Brazil and the River Plate, then followed up with a service from the West Coast of North America to Australia and New Zealand. At all times the house flag was the same as those flown on HSDG vessels, with those four letters in the red and white triangles. The logo without letters exists just on Hamburg-Süd stationery and the firm's Hamburg postage meter.
Wolf Spille, 27 Nov 2006
![[Hamburg Süd (Shipping Company, Germany)]](../images/d/de~hambs.gif)
image by Jorge Candeias, 2 Feb 1999
Please note the houseflag for the above company (Columbus Line is a subsidiary of Hamburg Süd) is missing the letters H S D G (Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft) in black in each of the saltires as follows:
H
S D
G
Erik Porter, 21 Aug 2002