British shipping companies (F)

Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
Keywords: shipping lines |
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• William France, Fenwick & Co., Ltd.
• Francis Stanley Holland
• The Freear & Dix Steam Shipping Co., Ltd.
• A.J. Freeth
• John G. Frew & Co.
• Frew, Elder & Co.
• Frisken, Miller & Co.
• Frumentum Steamship Co., Ltd.
• Fulwell Steamship Co. Ltd. (E.T. Dinsdale & Co.)
• Furness Lines
• Furness Houlder Argentine Lines
• Furness Withy & Co. Ltd.
• Fyffes Group Ltd.

• House flags of British shipping companies
• House flags of shipping companies
• United Kingdom

from Stewart and Styring's Flags, Funnels and Hull Colors 1963

William France, Fenwick & Co. Ltd. Formed 1901 by a merger with the flag being that of one of the parties, Fenwick, Stobbart & Co. Ltd., previously to 1893 being Fenwick & Co., with the flag applying at that point as confirmed by Reed 1891. According to Loughran (1979) a slightly different version showing a cross of a lighter blue was used in the Goole-Yorkshire coal trade as the company itself diversified into deep sea tramping before folding in 1975. There are a couple of variations shown with Reed 1912 showing the red letters "WF" on the panel and Harnack who shows a white cross. The latter is probably a printing error but the Reed image, which is unsupported, refers to another of the merging parties, William France & Co. They originally had a blue flag with the white letters "WF" but in 1895 adopted a blue flag with a white cross which, according to Loughran (1979), was surmounted by a blue circle defined black and bearing the white letters "WF" [see image below] with Griffin 1895 differing by showing a white circle defined blue bearing the red letters "WF".
Neale Rosanoski, 16 February 2004

image by Ivan Sache

Fenwick & Co. was an old established shipping company engaged in the Australian wool trade from 1834 and later in the East Coast coal trade. They merged with William France of Goole, a company that also owned colliers in 1901. During the early part of the 20th century they built up a fleet of deep sea tramps in addition to their colliers. Both these trades were in recession by 1975 when the company was wound up.

https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/230.html

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag (#621, p. 66).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/31/
Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021

Francis Stanley Holland

image by Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Francis Stanley Holland (#587, p. 64), a London-based company, as blue with the white letters "FSH".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/29/
Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021

The Freear & Dix Steam Shipping Co., Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of the Freear & Dix Steam Shipping Co., Ltd. (#872, p. 78), a Sunderland-based company, as vertically divided red-white-red-white-red-white, charged in the center by a white lozenge outlined in black inscribing the black letters "F&D".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/43/ 
Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

A.J. Freeth

image by Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of A.J. Freeth (#889, p. 79), a North Shields-based company, as red with a white "F".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/44/
Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

John G. Frew & Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
John G. Frew & Co (#451, p. 58), a Glasgow-based company as blue with a red "F" inscribed in a white square diamond, the whole framed in a thin white rectangular contour.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#23
Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021

Frew, Elder & Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Frew, Elder & Co. (#1149, p. 91), a Newcastle-based company, as white with a red Magen David inscribed with the white letters "F.E.".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#56
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Frisken, Miller & Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Frisken, Miller & Co. (#232, p. 48), a Glasgow-based company, as triangular without point, red with a thin white cross and a blue canton charged with a white saltire.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#13
Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021

Frumentum Steamship Co., Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Frumentum Steamship Co., Ltd., then labelled an investment company, was liquidated on 22 February 1967.
[The London Gazette, 24 February 1967]

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Frumentum Steamship Co., Ltd. (#1151, p. 91), a London-based company, as blue with the white letters "FSS".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#56
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Fulwell Steamship Co. Ltd. (E.T. Dinsdale & Co.)

by Ivan Sache, 7 January 2006

The webpage at http://www.gaicka.co.uk/Chris/fulwellssco.htm serves as an introduction to a small and little-known shipping company, Fulwell Steamship Co. Ltd. (E.T. Dinsdale & Co.)  The Sunderland-based firm is mentioned as a shipowner/broker in various Lloyds Lists between 1920 and 1928 but most information can be gleaned from a posthumous resume of Ernest Dinsdale, written by his widow, and accessible (clickable) at http://www.gaicka.co.uk/Chris/ETD_Resume.jpg. At the end of 1920 E.T. Dinsdale resigned as Manager of James Lythgoe and Co. (Sunderland), became a shipbroker and founded Fulwell Steamship the next year. According to Mrs. Dinsdale, the firm would eventually operate four steamers (the site gives detailed evidence of one). From 1925 on, business became difficult because of "unprecedented depreciation" in shipping and by 1928 the firm had to be wound up but Mr. Dinsdale remained in the shipping business for a number of years as an employee.

The house flag was divided horizontally white-black-white, a large red initial 'D' over all (in the sense that only small white segments appear within the initial).
Jan Mertens, 5 January 2005

The shareholders of East Coast Timber Co set up another company to act for them and this was T.G.Irving Ltd. Andrew Marshall and Tom Irving operated the company for many years.  They owned a number of ships e.g. Marena, Charlus, Carrick Lea, Rosedene, Ferndene, Ashdene, Briardene, Oakdene and traded until the 1970's.  They were in the coal trade operating mostly to Moray Firth, Orkney and Shetland but of course faded away with the coal trade.  They were also closely associated with the East Coast Timber Co. until that firm closed down.  ECT supplied pit-wood and therefore faded away with the coal business. They were also associated with the R.L. Cook Towage Co. of Sunderland until that company was absorbed into France Fenwick.  The funnel mark was common to both companies.
Andrew Marshall, 16 May 2006

The flag is blue with a white F.

Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows Furness Withy & Co.Ld., London: blue with large white letter F (no serifs) in the centre, the height of which is about two thirds of the flag.
Jan Mertens, 16 May 2004

based on 3:5 variant by Graham Bartram

Furness Lines. The Furness Withy Group became one of the UK's largest and originated with Thomas Furness & Co. who operated as ships chandlers etc. In 1872 brother Christopher joined the company which became shipowners in 1878 but as Thomas was not interested in shipping they split in 1882 with Christopher taking over the shipping under his own name. The original flag was the Union Flag defaced by a white square at the cross fess-point which was edged and bore an "F". Bonsor gives the edging and letter as blue whereas Reed 1891 shows them as black. Talbot-Booth varies slightly again describing the panel as being a white rectangle bearing a black "F". Bonsor appears to indicate that the blue flag with a white "F" also dates from around 1878 but I would image that it was more likely to have dated from the split between the brothers. It is shown by a photo in Bonsor for the "Newcastle City" built 1883.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 June 2005

Furness Houlder Argentine Lines

by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag, Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines Ltd: A blue pennant bearing a black disc in the centre with two red stripes. A letter 'F' appears in the top left-hand corner. Below is a red pennant with a white cross in the centre. The pennants are made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. They have cotton hoists and are machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.
Jarig Bakker, 12 August 2004

Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows Furness Houlder Argentine Lines, London: two pennants above each other, the upper one blue with white letter F in the hoist, the lower one red with a white Maltese cross in the hoist.

A predecessor: red flag with white Maltese cross in on-line 1912 Lloyd's Flags & Funnels, No. 757 for Houlder Line Ltd, London':
See: http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/initiative/Impage.cfm?PageNum=39&bibid=11061&ChapterId=8

Jan Mertens, 16 May 2004

Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines Ltd. was a joint venture with Houlder Bros. & Co. Ltd. formed in 1914/1915, Furness, Withy having taken an interest in Houlders in 1911 making it 100% in 1968 which appears to have seen the end of the venture. The pennants are based on the flags of the two constituent companies and as Jan points out the upper pennant originally just had the plain white "F".

The group contained several major companies such as Shaw Savill, Royal Mail, Pacific Steam Navigation, Houlder Brothers, Prince Line and Manchester Liners which originally kept their own flags whereas lesser companies adopted that of Furness, Withy. At the beginning of the 1970s fleet numbers took a downturn and in 1977 they formed a General Shipping Division to manage all subsidiaries which effectively finished the operations of these in all but names for ship registration purposes.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 June 2005

Furness Withy & Co. Ltd.

Also Neptune Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.
And Norfolk and North American Steamship Co.

by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag of Furness Withy & Co. Ltd., London. A pale blue swallow-tailed pennant. In the upper hoist is a white letter 'F' and the centre of the pennant bears a black disc with two red horizontal stripes of irregular width. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting with a linen hoist. It is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.
Jarig Bakker, 12 August 2004

Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd. was formed in 1891 merging the interests of Christopher Furness which included the shipbuilders Edward Withy & Co. and the flag continued in use until 1949 (Talbot-Booth) when the Tapered swallowtail with the circle and white "F" in the canton was adopted.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 June 2005

The company was started by Thomas and Christopher Furness in West Hartlepool. They commenced shipowning in 1878. In 1883 Christopher Furness purchased an interest in the shipyard of Edward Withy and in 1884 bought the company outright. In 1885 Christopher Furness collaborated with Thomas Wilson to form the Wilson Furness line to operate services between Newcastle and New York.
By 1891 the fleet contained 18 ships and Furness Withy & Co. was founded. The firm, combining shipbuilding, ship owning and ship management, grew into a very large group. Their routes ran mainly between the UK and the East Coast of North America. They were extended through the Panama Canal to the Northern Pacific coast in 1919 and from 1932, they ran a route between New York and Bermuda.
Under the ownership of C.Y. Tung of Hong Kong ship holdings dwindled during the difficult conditions of the 1980s. In 1990 the company was sold to Rudolf A. Oetker and remains operational as a ship broking business.

https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/232.html
National Maritime Museum
Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

image by Rob Raeside, 20 July 2015

Flag shown here is a compound flag comprising two pennants, the upper one similar to the swallowtail flag above, and the lower one red, bearing a white cross pattée.
Victor Lomantsov, 20 July 2015

image by Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the first house flag of Furness, Withy & Co., Ltd., also Neptune Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., and Norfolk and North American Steamship Co. (#36, p. 38) as blue with a white "F" in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#3
Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

Fyffes Group Ltd.

by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, "the house flag of Fyffes Group Ltd, London. A blue swallowed-tailed burgee bearing a yellow triangle against the hoist with the name 'Fyffes' in white letters on a navy blue oval. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached. 'Fyffes 9 x 6' is inscribed on the hoist."

This is associated with the huge conglomerate around the United Fruit Company  (US).
Jarig Bakker, 12 August 2004

Fyffes Group. Changed name 1969 from Elders & Fyffes Ltd. with the previous flag being shown under that name. Its association with the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands) ended in 1986 when it was acquired by Fruit Importers of Ireland with the flag still flying though they now seem to be charterers rather than owners.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 June 2005