Last modified: 2008-08-30 by jarig bakker
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![[Harms Bergungs - variant]](../images/d/de~habe.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 Aug 2008
Company website, in English
(full name: ‘Harms Bergung Transport & Heavylift GmbH & Co. KG’):
Founded in 1851 as Taucher (diving) Beckedorf, being “a world-wide operating
independent company, Harms Bergung offer(ing) a broad range of maritime
services. The core business focuses on the areas of offshore, sea towage,
sea transports on pontoons, heavy lifts, salvage and CORREXTM treatment”
(preventive antirust treatment) as stated on in the ‘About us’ section.
The ‘History’ section mentions Ulrich Harms taking a share in the company
in 1951, becoming the owner of ‘Harms Bergung’ in 1962; international
expansion during the nineteen-sixties, owning all of Beckedorf by
1969. 1972 bought by Smit (NL) but retains name; 1997, named Smit
International (DE); bought by business partners Albrecht and Mayer who
re-establish the name in 2001.
See this page
for an impression of what Harms is able to do: Fleet
page (I count nine tugs and three pontoons plus a projected “twin hull
submersible barge (…)
intended to be used for dry docking operations and heavy lift transportation
of floating and non-floating cargo”).
Jan Mertens, 18 Aug 2008
Dockers would usually carry over their shoulders a long, stout tapered
stick with a hook very similar to that depicted on the flag. These hooks
were either highly polished brass or black cast iron or steel. The docker
would use the pole to tip the packing crate or whatever on its side, where
two of his mates would use shorter poles with similar hooks to obtain a
purchase or grip. This would enable them to shift the crate onto the shoulders
of a third man, who would place it into a cargo net to be lowered into
a ship's hold, or else they would manhandle the case out of the net and
onto the dockside. I don't know what the hook is called, but there is obviously
some sort of technical term. It was amazing to watch a crew of five or
six dockers either load or onload a 15,000 ton freighter in the space of
four hours. The hook on the flag obviously represents the company's expertise
in handling bulky cargo.
Ron Lahav, 18 Aug 2008
![[Harms Bergungs - variant 2]](../images/d/de~hasi.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 Aug 2008
Harms’s company
history mentions an episode during which Smit (Tak), Dutch towage and
salvage specialist, owned Harms 1972-2001 (under its own name till 1997,
then – as I understand it - becoming the German branch of Smit International).
A German eBay offer recently featured a blue-and-yellow item. This
was no. 150278989887 (end 14 Aug 2008), admittedly a table flag, put up
by “bundeszentralregister” who explicitly refers to the Smit episode.
Dimensions given as approx. 16 cm x 24 cm: There is the familiar object
again – “bundeszentrale” says it is an anchor. Now Smit
International’s house flag is blue with a yellow symbol near the hoist:
so the above is really a variant of Smits still clearly referring to Harms!
Nicely done.
No photos of real usage found yet. In the meantime the question
remains: when was the blue-and yellow flag introduced, since Loughran [lgr95]
shows it – somewhat altered – in 1995?
Jan Mertens, 18 Aug 2008
![[Harms Bergungs]](../images/d/de~harms.gif)
image by Jarig Bakker, 23 Nov 2005
Harms Bergungs G.m.b.H., Hamburg - blue flag, yellow axe with
blade pointing to the bottom. (Bergung = salvage)
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