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New Zealand - House flags of shipping companies (T-U)

Last modified: 2017-03-04 by ian macdonald
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Takapuna Tranways & Ferry Co.

[Takapuna Tranways & Ferry Co.] image by Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010

Takapuna Tranways & Ferry Co. Operated in Auckland 1910-1927 with The Log of 2/1989 giving a yellow flag with a red saltire between the black letters "TTFCo".
Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010


Tarakohe Shipping Co. Ltd.

[Tarakohe Shipping Co. Ltd.] image by Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010

Tarakohe Shipping Co. Ltd. Formed in 1954 as a joint venture to ship cement for the Golden Bay Cement Co. Ltd. which finally took over the sole operation of its vessels with Tarakohe being liquidated in 1992. The flag shown by The Log 11/1998 reflects the Golden Bay connection, and may more accurately be listed against that company although a different version is noted against them, this one being yellow with a blue border and bearing a white diamond bearing the red legend "PORTLAND" over " GOLDEN BAY" over " CEMENT" with the middle lettering being larger.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010


Tasman-Asia Shipping Co.

[ Tasman - Asia Shipping Co. flag ] image by Jarig Bakker, 5 Oct 2005

Tasman - Asia Shipping Co., Ltd., Hobart - white flag, red disk, charged with yellow seahorse, a crescent pointed flywards, containing 4 5-pointed stars, placed 1,2,1, all white.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 5 October 2005

Tasman-Asia Shipping. Co. This was not an Australian company based Hobart. Not sure where that originated but the flag shown by Brown 1995 was reported by me to Louis Loughran following a sighting of the T A Mariner in Lyttelton November 1989. The company itself, which was in the New Zealand – Asia trade had its basis in a joint venture formed in 1986 between the Norwegian company of Kristian Jebsens Skipsrederi A/S, who had been operating in this service from the early 1980s, and Tasman Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. of Tauranga, New Zealand. The joint venture known as Tasman Jebsen New Zealand Line lasted until towards the end 1988 when Jebsen withdrew. This lead to the formation of Tasman Asia Shipping Co. Ltd. which was registered at Auckland, NZ, 10 October 1988 and which traded until March 1999 when it merged into Tasman Orient Line Ltd. The company used chartered tonnage which can lead more easily to variances in funnel markings which can often be helpful in determining flag sightings. At this stage I was not photographing so I can only go by notes of the time which did not suggest that there was any question over the colours. Provided I was correct then there was a subsequent change in the colours by the time of the next sighting in October 1990 with T A Navigator when the colours of the seahorse and crescent were noted as yellow and the stars as blue edged either white or yellow, the sighting being at a distance leading to uncertainty on this point. As vessels of this service were very infrequent callers at Lyttelton it was not until I had moved back to the North Island and visited Wellington that I was able between 1996-1998 to determine for sure that the stars were definitely edged yellow. During this time it was possible to closely study the houseflag which was flown at the entrance to the Port in 1996 and then to a replacement version in 1997 which showed a smaller logo and "TASMAN ASIA SHIPPING" in blue lettering underneath which although being full sized, was, I assume, a shore marketing flag as I never saw any of the ships flying it as proved by photos of the T A Navigator in June 1997.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 May 2008


Tasman Express Line Ltd.

[Sanford Ltd.] image by Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010

Tasman Express Line Ltd. Operated from 1985 to 1999. The flag, of which I hold one, was white with a panel of a captain's sleeve in blue and gold. It was based on that of the Scandinavian Continental Line A/B from whom it chartered two vessels with their permission as the trading areas of the two were well apart [detail received from the company] and there was a small alteration which saw the small nick on the upper band disposed with and going by the table flag shown by Josef Nüsse for SCL the panel proportions also differed. The flag was first sighted on the "Canterbury Express" in 1986.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010


Tasman Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd.

[Tasman Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd.] image by Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010

Tasman Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. Formed in 1952 it entered shipowning in 1977 with specialized vessels for its trans-Tasman trade. Becoming part of Fletcher Challenge it was sold to Norwegian interests in 2000 and its last vessel sold. The flag, taken from an actual held, was a deeper sky blue with a narrow white horizontal band and overall an undefined white circle bearing a green "T" with a wavy top.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010


Turnbull Steam Ship Co.

[Turnbull Steam Ship Co.] image by Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010

Turnbull Steam Ship Co. Based Wellington. It operated 1877 to 1882 with a blue flag having a white cross from Then Log 2/1992.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 November 2010


Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand / Union Shipping New Zealand

[Union Steamship houseflag] image by Alvin Fisher and António Martins, 21 March 2000

This flag was originally adopted in the year 1875. As for the Union Steam Ship Company itself, it was a highly successful shipping institution dealing with both passenger and freight transportation in New Zealand and between New Zealand and other Pacific countries. At its height, in 1914, it operated the largest fleet of its type in the southern hemisphere. In 1917, it was acquired by the Peninsula and Orient (P&O) company, under whose control it performed only moderately. In 1972, it came under the control of a Australasian company before being bought by Brierley Investments, a well-known New Zealand group, in the 1980s. By this time, the company was only a fraction of its former size. When the shipping industry in New Zealand was opened up to foreign craft, which operated much more cheaply than the Union Steam Ship Company could afford to do, the operation became unprofitable. Brierley Investments wound up its shipping concerns near the beginning of the 1990s.The company, and its flag, are now defunct.
Thomas Robinson, 3 January 2001

Union Steam Ship Co. of New Zealand Ltd. was formed in 1875 and at one stage was the largest shipping company in the Southern Hemisphere. The flag (I hold an actual) depicted is slightly incorrect in that the panel of the Union Flag was not edged i.e. the red of the Union merges with the field and the "o" of "Co" is slightly smaller and is enhanced with several sources incorrectly show a dot under it.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 October 2002

Union Shipping New Zealand

[Union Shipping NZ houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 27 Jan 2006, based on [lgr95]

In 1987 the company changed its name to Union Shipping New Zealand Ltd. with a change of the flag in that the letters became "U" (hoist), "S" (fly) and "N.Z." (base). These details are taken from an actual flag. The company finally ceased operating in 2001.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 October 2002

Is the Union Jack actually squeezed, or more like the Union Steamship Company image above? I imagine that the first examples of this flag were made by adding extra bunting around a regular Union Jack - is this plausible?
António Martins, 28 January 2006

[Union Shipping NZ houseflag] image by Neale Rosanoski, 19 March 2010

Union Steam Ship Co. of New Zealand/Union Shipping New Zealand.
In answer to António's questions I enclose a photo of an actual flag to confirm the proportions. With regard to the manufacture his thought is not only plausible but is exactly how they were always made. The Union Flag in the centre is made by the sewing together of the various coloured areas and the red border is then sewn on by adding one long length top and bottom with shorter lengths filling in hoist and fly. Unlike the normal flag material which can be seen through when held up, the letters are of a different opaque material and are double sided with one being sewn to each side of the flag. I never got that close to a Union Shipping flag but would imagine that it exactly the same manufacture with just the letters changed. I enclose my [poor] best photo of it in support which does not show the "S" in the fly but it is there.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 March 2010


Series continues: New Zealand shipping lines (W)