Last modified: 2008-08-02 by dov gutterman
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image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
From <www.dickmar.com>:
"Marittima Mediterranea SpA is a company on the move. Formed
in 1954, M.M. has quickly established itself as a
service-oriented,reliable,general steamship agency. For the best
and reliable attendance entrust your vessel to our organization.
long experience in handling petroleum,chemical and gas
trasportation. Bunkering agents. our own offices,located to serve
major ports in Italy,are complemented by a sub-agency network
covering all italian ports."
Head office at Augusta (SR). Flag
from this site is logo on white.
Dov Gutterman, 4 November 2003
Marittima Mediterranea SpA, Augusta (Sicily) - White with the
firm's logo: two blue interconnected parts of chains (?)
surrounding two red capitals M.
Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
From <www.marittimaravennate.com>:
"Marittima Ravennate SpA is one of the oldest shipagencies
in Ravenna: it was established in 1929, originating from a
shipping company existing since 1907, therefore the services
offered resuIt from many years of experience in the maritime
field."
Flag at this site is red and charged with white diamond and red
"M".
Dov Gutterman, 4 November 2003
Marnavi was founded in 1910 by Dominico Ievoli and is
currently chaired by the founder's grandson, Domenico. The
company operates 27 ships, including 12 petrochemical tankers,
all with "Ievoli" in their name and 8 ships for
transporting food products (oil, water, wine) to and from the
Italian islands.
The house flag of Marnavi, shown as a graphic on the front page
of the company
website, is a red pennant with a white cross charged in the
middle with a blue anchor and in upper hoist with a blue
"I." (for "Ievoli").
The "Ievoli Sun" sank on 30 October 2000 north of the
island of Batz, Northern Brittany, causing a limited pollution by
styrene. The incident happened one year after the
"Erika" oil spill and highlighted the risk to the
environment represented by the chemical tankers, as well as the
lack of knowledge on the bahviour and impact of chemical
pollutant on sea life.
Ivan Sache, 7 March 2008
image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
At <www.omniainformatica.it>
there are an houseflag and
a pennant for this
company.
Jan Mertens, 31 October 2003
The images belong to two companies which are subsidiaries
of Casa di Spedizioni Rag. Andrea Cagnoni S.r.l. The flag
is that of Mediterranea di Navigazione S.r.l. formed in 1987, the
pennant belongs to Medimar S.p.A. which was formed in 1967 as
Società Mediterranea di Navigazione S.p.A. changing name in
1982.
Rosanoski, 3 January 2004
image by Jorge Candeias
The logo includes not only this flag. but also an orangevy
version of Italia di Navigazione houseflag.
Jorge Candeias, 30 January 1998
It is a commercial name of joint Italian companies. As stated
in D'Amico company site: <www.damicoship.com>:
"The company presently handles two regular shipping lines.
The first one - dealing only with container transportation - is
operated together with Italia di Navigazione S.p.A. of Genoa and
carries the commercial name of "Med Pacific Express"
using four container vessels, two employed by d'Amico and two by
Italia di Navigazione. This liner service is performed between
the Mediterranean area, Central America and the North Pacific
(Venezuela, Mexico, U.S.A. and Canada). From April 1996 the
service has been extended to the Coasts of the South Pacific
using two feeder vessels: one of d'Amico, the other one of Italia
."
Dov Gutterman, 15 January 1999
image by Jarig Bakker, 20 February 2006
Ministerio dei Lavori Pubblici Srvizio Escavazione Porti, Rome
- white burgee, two narrow red stripes; three red diamonds.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of
the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 20 February 2006
The "Ministerio dei Lavori Pubblici" is the
Ministery of Civil Engineering. The "Servizio Escavazione
Porti" seems to be the Department of Port Excavation. I
don't know if "Escavazione" shall be understood as the
excavation of new ports or their dredging.
Ivan Sache, 21 February 2006
image by Jarig Bakker, 4 January 2004
From Scott, R.M., The Caltex book of Flags and Funnels,
Capetown, Caltex Africa Ltd. (1959):
#83 G. Montella, Naples - blue flag, yellow "M".
Jarig Bakker, 4 January 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
At home I have a stout "Larousse Commercial
Illustré" (a kind of trade encyclopedia) published in
Paris, 1930. It has four pages in colour illustrating house
flags; a note identifies it as the work of Sandy Hook.
In this book, I found Navigazione Generale Italiana, Geno(v)a:
quartered white and red, in the hoist white field a yellow lion
couchant and near its head a black sprig?? (very sketchy here I'm
afraid) and in the fly white field a red cross throughout.
Or rather a St George's cross, as will become clear. A very tiny
image here (even when enlarged), click the upper right poster:
<cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com>.
The firm existed 1881-1932 and came about as a merger between
Ignazio & Vincenzo Florio (a firm from Palermo) and the Società per la Navigazione a Vapore
Raffaele Rubattino from Genoa, that's where the St George's
cross comes I gather. More history on this splendid site
<www.theshipslist.com>:
"Besides services to the USA and Canada, they ran to
Mediterranean and Black Sea ports, India, the Far East and South
America. In 1885 they took over Soc.Italiana di Transporti
Marittimi Raggio & Co. and Soc. Rocco Piaggio & Figli. By
1901 NGI had taken control of La Veloce
and in 1924 liquidated that company. In 1910 they purchased a
controlling interest in Lloyd Italiano. The same year the Societa
Nationale del Servizi Marittimi was formed and NGI transferred
most of their ships to this company. This left them with only 19
ships and the North and South American routes. In 1921
Transoceanica Societa Italiana di Navigazione and Societa
Commerciale Italiana and their fleets were absorbed into NGI and
in 1932 NGI and Lloyd Sabaudo, with Cosulich Line combined to
form a new company named ITALIA."
Jan Mertens, 22 December 2003
Image after Loughran's Survey of Mercantile Houseflags and
Funnels, 1979.
Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
This is not the old firm reffered above but a private
ferryboat around Sicily - This flag from <www.cormorano.net>:
Diagonally divided from top hoist to fly bottom, towards the
hoist black and towards the fly white; in the center a red map of
Sicily surcharged with a yellow Scandinavian cross (I guess to
honor the Vikings, who brought prosperity there in the early
Middle Ages).
Jarig Bakker, 12 July 2004
Those early lords of Sicily were Normans rather than Vikings.
Most of them left the duchy of Normandy when William the Bastard
(later the Conqueror) strngthened his power and forbid the
autonomous domains in his duchy. The rebels were forced to exile.
The most famous of these rebels is Robert Guiscard (c.
1015-1085), who founded a Norman state in Southern Italy. Robert
was appointed count (1057-1059), then duke (1059-1085) of Puglia,
Calabria and Sicily, by pope Nicholas II. He expelled the
Byzantines from Italy in 1071 and later the Sarracens from
Sicily. Other Norman lords became mercenaries in England, Spain
and Byzance. They sent back money to Normandy to fund or rebuild
churches, for instance the cathedrals of Coutances and Sées.
Some of them eventually calmed down and came back home, where
their wealth and military experience was very helpful to William.
Ivan Sache, 13 July 2004
The 2nd flag for the current ferry company of that name may
have different colours as after studying the website images I
would plump for a dark blue instead of black division of the
field and for the cross on the map of Sicily to be white and not
yellow.
Neale Rosanoski, 1 December 2004
image by Jarig Bakker, 20 February 2006
Navigazione Libera del Golfo S.r.L. (vessels operating from
Naples), Naples - blue flag bordered yellow, white
"LN".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of
the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 20 February 2006
Yellow variant
image by Jarig Bakker, 13 July 2004
White variant
image by Jarig Bakker, 13 July 2004
At home I have a stout "Larousse Commercial
Illustré" (a kind of trade encyclopedia) published in
Paris, 1930. It has four pages in colour illustrating house
flags; a note identifies it as the work of Sandy Hook.
In this book, I found Navigazione Libera Triestina, Trieste:
blue, white serif-less letters NLT in the middle, a white foul
anchor in the background (behind the 'L' in fact). Also
known as the Libera Line.
Some company history here <www.theshipslist.com>:
"The company was registered in 1906 at Trieste, then part of
Austria-Hungary and operated cargo services world wide. In 1918
Trieste became a part of Italy and the fleet transferred to the
Italian flag. From 1921 passenger services to New York were
instituted and in 1927 a Genoa - Naples - Gulf of Mexico service
started. In 1937 the fleet was split between Italia and Lloyd
Triestino and disappeared as a seperate concern."
From Maritime Timetable Images, this picture <www.timetableimages.com>
showing the anchor's flukes 'sustaining' all three initials,
whereas Sandy Hook draws them solely under the 'L'.
I thought I was done with this when a different rendering
appeared on the scene: <www.infofila.cz>,
showing yellow anchor and intitials, and on a
company post card, too! So the colour question remains open, but
I'm sure someone has a flags
& funnels book to back one or the other version up.
Jan Mertens, 20 December 2003
Navigazione Libera Triestina S.A. - The flag books show both
white and yellow colours. Lloyds 1912, Brown 1926 and 1929 all
show white but with no
chain on the anchor [see it~n289a.gif attached]. Larousse is the
first to show a chain, supported by the timetable from <www.timetableimages.com>
whereas the postcard from <www.infofila.cz>
with the yellow version, going by the timetable with it, appears
likely to be dated around 1933 also and this version is shown by
Talbot-Booth from 1936 [which is in line] onwards and is also
picked up by the Brown 1934 and 1943 editions.
Neale Rosanoski, 1 December 2004
image by Dov Gutterman, 23 July 2002
Based on images at <www.navmont.com>
and <www.navmont.com/evolband.gif>.
Dov Gutterman, 23 July 2002
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 June 2008
At the 1940 Spanish source at <www.24flotilla.com>
(Sixth and last on the third complete row): Navigazione
Toscana’ at Livorno (Leghorn). A simple flag, it is white and bears
black initials ‘NT’ without serifs.
Text (at <www.naviearmatori.net>,
no longer available, it seems) contained the following
information: Founded in 1914 by shipyard owner Giuseppe Orlando
in order to provide a subsidized maritime service to and from the
Tuscan Archipelago for twelve years. Ships linked
Livorno and/or Piombino to Elba (Portolongone – now renamed
Porte Azzuro - and Porteferraio) and other islands such as
Capraia, Pianosa, Giglio, etc. Most routes were operated on a
weekly or biweekly basis. After WWI – one vessel served
as a convoy ship - the concession was renewed and modern ships
put into service. WWII wiped out the commandeered company fleet
so old ships had to replace them in order to maintain the
islands’ lifeline. Concession renewed, 1963-1973. The
company seat of which was first moved to Rome (1969) and then to
Naples, was wound up in 1983.
According to the SimplonPC website the firm was renamed Toremar in 1975.
Pages showing a number of NT ships at <www.elba-online.com>
and <www.mucchio-selvaggio.it>.
Further sources (postal history and book, respectively) at
<www.filateliaefrancobolli.it>
and <www.calosci.com>.
Jan Mertens, 21 March 2008
image by Jarig Bakker, 24 January 2005
Cia. Napoletana di Nav., Naples - green flag, white diamond,
red "A".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign
Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26].
Jarig Bakker, 24 January 2005
image by Ivan Sache, 2 May 2005
Lloyds 1912 shows a green flag
with a bigger white diamond bearing the red letters
"C.N."
Neale Rosanoski, 26 February 2005
image by Eugene Ipavec, 17 January 2008
Among the Italian shipping companies in the 1940 house flag
source at <www.24flotilla.com>
is that of ‘Nova Genuensis’, Genoa (first of fourth
row, counting the upper right one) - The house flag is divided
quarterly, upper left being white with a blue border, a red cross
throughout over all; upper right, white; lower left, white; lower
right, red with a blue cross throughout.
It is easy to spot the Genoan connection with the white-and-red town flag, whereas blue
(“azzurro”) may have been added for patriotic reasons
and/or contrast.
The full name of this firm was ‘Società Anonima per
l'Industria ed il Commercio Marittimo Nova Genuensis’ i.e.
‘Industrial and Maritime Commercial Co. Nova Genuensis
Ltd’ the short name being Latin for “New Genoa”.
No dates are known to me yet, what I found on the net were mostly
WWII encounters - sinkings or seizings of Nova Genuensis ships.
Jan Mertens, 11 January 2008
Among the Italian shipping companies in the 1940 house flag
source at <www.24flotilla.com>
is that of ‘Soc[ietà] Partenopea Anon[ima di]
Navigazione’ aka SPAN. Established at Naples
(‘Partenopean’ means ‘Neapolitan’). We see a
light blue flag, bordered
in white, bearing a horse looking towards the hoist: said horse
is prancing.
Partenopeo vessels (some of them requisitioned for Navy service)
sunk during WWII are popular diving targets. Some
examples (choice of Italian sites) are <charter.seatizen.com>,
<www.atlink.it>,
<www.marescoop.com>,
<chartervichi.it>
and <www.amicidelblu.it>.
The ‘Città di Meta’ linked Naples to the island of
Ischia 1974-1989 as reopted at <www.simplonpc.co.uk>.
Other and older ships are mentioned on the net – if only as
models – but all in all the information is hard to find.
At least we know that Partenopea was active in, or since, 1929
and also that it merged with ‘Aliscafi Compagnia Sarda’
(a firm being wound up) in 1987. Much is left unclear, except the
horse (as to its possible source) in different colours, it is
also the symbol of Naples Province.
Also, the funnel shows the city colours of Naples
as they appear in the arms: yellow above red.
Jan Mertens, 3 April 2008
image by Ivan Sache, 25 April 2008
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house
flag of "Paolo Viale" (#313, p. 51), a company based in
Genoa, as white with a the blue letters
"PV".
Ivan Sache, 25 April 2008
image by Jarig Bakker, 14 January 2005
Peirce Bros., Naples - white flag; red shield with yellow
cross; in canton black "P".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign
Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26].
Jarig Bakker, 14 January 2005
Lloyds 1904 show the flag but without the "P" with
the firm at that point being based in Messina. They also show the
same livery for Walter F. Becker of Turin and Genoa trading as
the Creole Line. Then in Lloyds 1912 Peirce Brothers, now shown
as based Messina, Naples and Genoa has the "P" added,
Walter F. Becker still has the flag without the "P" and
this letterless version is also now given for Società di Navigazione à Vapore
Siclula Americana, apparently originally of Messina but now
of Naples.
Neale Rosanoski, 26 February 2005
The house flag of Perseveranza, as shown on a graphic on the company website, is
blue with a white anchor flanked by the white letters
"G" and "D". The company, base in Naples,
operates 17 tankers.
Perseveranza SpA di Navigzione, founded in 1969, is 96%-owned by
the D'Amato family, in the shipping business since 1870. Giuseppe
D'Amato is President and his two sons Umberto and Angelo are
members of the Boards of Directors. Their two sisters, Marilena
and Rosalia, are also involved in the management of the company.
The company operates five vessels, MN "Giuseppe
D'Amato", "Marilena D'Amato" and "Rosalia
D'Amato" and MT "Cielo Di Roma" and "Ciel Di
Milano". The meaning of "GD" on the flag is now
straightforward, for "Giuseppe D'Amato".
Ivan Sache, 8 March 2008
image by Eugene Ipavec, 23 May 2006
The houseflag of the
Società Anonima Pesca e Reti Italiana (Italian Net Fishing Ltd
(?) appears on a 1923 share at <www.hwph.de>.
According to the website of scripophily auctioneer Historisches
Wertpapierhaus, the company did not exist for
long. The share was issued in Rome on 30 Sept. 1923.
Two pages offer more information in Italian <www.guardiacostiera.it>
and <www.regione.emilia-romagna.it>.
I gather the firm was founded by the brothers Merlini and was
active, first in the Mediterranean, then by 1925 before the coast
of Morocco and Spanish Sahara, and finally in the North Sea and
arctic waters. The flag is a red swallowtail has a blue
five-pointed star in the upper hoist and the firm’s acronym
SAPRI, also in blue, along the lower edge. I wonder if
the lower tail is really longer than the upper one.
Jan Mertens, 22 May 2006
I think that the lower tail may have been lenghtened so as to
not fold over the name.
Eugene Ipavec, 23 May 2006
image by Jarig Bakker, 19 September 2005
I located an image that looks like this company flag at <www.premuda.it>.
Dov Gutterman, 13 Febuary 1999
A dubious flag: could be simply the logo.
Black-white-red-black stripes disposed vaguely horizontally,
forming a sort of V. The colours and design remind the German
Poseidon company.
Jorge Candeias, 6 March 1999
Premuda S.p.A. According to Brown 1995 the website logo is the
flag except Brown shows a narrower chevron and it is not
staggered beginning and ending at a similar point towards upper
hoist and fly. Lloyds states that the company was formed 1975 as
Premuda Società di Navigazione per Azioni changing name in
1996. However it appears from website comments that this company
probably originated with Giovanni L. Premuda who was operating by
at least 1904 and appears to have formed [Società Anonima di]
Navigazione a Vapore G.L. Premuda in 1907 (sources vary with the
name) which operated up to WW2 and had a quartered flag of red
and green.
Neale Rosanoski, 11 April 2003
Premuda Societa di Navigazione per Azioni, Genoa - black with
a white and red chevron.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of
the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 19 September 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2004
Societá Anonyma di Navigazione a Vapore G.L. Premuda, Trieste
- quartered green and red
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign
Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2004
This would presumably have some relation to the company Premuda from Lussinpicolo. I do
not think that it is just conicidentally the same family name.
Željko Heimer, 18 December 2004
by Ivan Sache, 13 February 2005
Lloyds 1904 and 1912 show a reverse arrangement of the
quarters i.e. red and green rather that than green and red.
Neale Rosanoski, 9 January 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 14 January 2005
At home I have a stout "Larousse Commercial
Illustré" (a kind of trade encyclopedia) published in
Paris, 1930. It has four pages in colour illustrating house
flags; a note identifies it as the work of Sandy Hook.
In this book, I found "Puglia" S.A. di Navigazione
(Bari): red with large white P (funnel: black, bearing the flag
in the form of a band)
Jan Mertens, 26 October 2003
'P' is very well now and almost as Sandy Hook drew it, only
there's a very small serif at the letter's foot and the 'bow'
reaches not so far. In all, a letter 'P' much as it is used
in the Groups Messages font.
Jan Mertens, 20 December 2003
Soc. di Nav. a Vap. "Puglia", Bari - red flag, white
"P".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign
Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26].
Jarig Bakker, 14 January 2005
