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British shipping companies (N)

Last modified: 2022-04-23 by rob raeside
Keywords: shipping lines |
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• Needham Bros.
• James Neil & Co.
• Nelson, Donkin & Co.
• Nelson Line
• Neptune Steam Fishing Co., Ltd.
• Nerdrum Shipping Ltd.
• Geo. Nesbet & Co., Ltd.
• Netherton Shipping Company
• Newbigin Steam Ship Co., Ltd.
• New Medway Steam Packet Co.
• New Palace Steamers
• Newry & Kilkeel Steam Ship Co., Ltd.
• New York and Pacific Steam Ship Co., Ltd.
• New Zealand Shipping Co., Ltd.
• Neyland Steam Trawling & Fishing Co., Ltd.

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

Needham Bros.

image by Ivan Sache, 3 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Needham Bros. (#1684, p. 117), a West Hartlepool-based shipping company, as red, charged in the center with a black "N".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#82
Ivan Sache, 3 May 2021

James Neil & Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of James Neil & Co. (#928, p. 81), a Glasgow-based company, as vertically divided blue-white-blue with a blue "N" in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/46/
Ivan Sache, 28 April 2021

Nelson, Donkin & Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Nelson, Donkin & Co. (#224, p. 47), a London-based company, as white with a blue six-pointed star.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#12
Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021

H. & W. Nelson, Ltd.

  image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 August 2008

image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 August 2008

The Maritime Timetable Images site features Nelson Line aka ‘Nelson Steam Navigation Co.’ A flag drawing from the first poster (clickable), presenting Sailings September-December 1924, shows a seemingly tapering swallowtail, red, bearing small white diamond with black initial ‘N’ – here, it almost seems blue (and on the second poster the swallowtail seems orange). Confirmation of colours (without tapering however) in the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels, no. 1752, ‘H. & W. Nelson, Ltd. (Nelson Line), Liverpool and London’. Incidentally also shown by Flaggenbuch 1928 II, as no. 396 ‘Nelson Line, Ltd, London’ with black initial, no tapering.

Essentials on the Ships List site:
“Formed 1880 for the meat trade from Argentina to UK. Commenced passenger service in 1910 between London [and] Buenos Aires. 1913 came under control of Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. 1932 Royal Mail Group collapsed, Royal Mail Lines Ltd founded and Nelson Line merged into the new company and disappeared as a separate company.�

Much more on Merchant Navy Officers site:
The shipping line was founded to help expand the meat business of Hugh and William Nelson, sons of James, butcher and breeder. Experiments in refrigerated transport from family-owned meat company in Argentina to Great Britain. A number of ships were registered as separate firms managed by the Nelsons, merged into ‘Nelson Line (Liverpool) Ltd’ in 1898 becoming ‘H. and W. Nelson Ltd’ three years later; in the same year (1901) limited passenger transportation started as well. ‘Nelson Line (London) Ltd’ formed in 1910 for passengers, new ships to be brought under control of ‘Nelson Steam Navigation Co. Ltd’. Nelson companies bought up by Royal Mail Steam Packer in 1913 but retained funnel and flag.  Serious losses during WWI. Only ‘Nelson Steam’ remained in 1925. Newly formed company Royal Mail Lines took over Royal Mail Steam Packet, Nelson, and other companies in 1932 – and that was the end of the Nelson house flag.

There appears be no connection found with ‘Nelson & Co.’ at Liverpool flying a completely different flag (Griffin 1891).
Jan Mertens, 17 August 2008

Neptune Steam Fishing Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021

The Neptune Steam Fishing Co. appears to have been founded by Thomas Hamling in 1900 and to have been liquidated in 1918.

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Neptune Steam Fishing Co. (#1516, p. 109) as horizontally divided blue-white-blue (that is the same house flag as Thomas Hamling & Co.).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#74
Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021

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

Geo. Nesbet & Co., Ltd.

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

George Nesbit & Co. Ltd. Originated as Nesbit, Calder & Co. with a similar flag but swallowtailed and with the blue letters "NC", [one source says black], the red bands being shown as narrower.
Neale Rosanoski, 6 June 2004

Netherton Shipping Company

image by Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "Netherton Shipping Company (John Greenless & Co.)" (#83, p. 40), a company based in Glasgow (Scotland), as quartered per saltire blue-red with, in the middle, a white disk charged with a red "N".

Quoting Wikipedia (no primary source quoted):
"Castlehead in its heyday had several major players in the shipping industry. If that seems surprising today, bear in mind that until two thirds of the way through the twentieth century the Clyde was one of the world’s busiest ports. Every shipping line worthy of the name had offices in Glasgow and there were scores of ship managers and brokers to handle the business of the smaller fry. It was a lucrative business, and Castlehead’s moguls did not miss the opportunity. The Greenlees at Netherton (26 Main Road) were related to the J. & P. Coats dynasty and their own family fortune was based on Rule and Greenlees, large-scale manufacturers of cotton and gingham clothing in the East End of Glasgow. It was a natural progression for major importers of textiles from the Far East to run their own ships and they set up the Netherton Shipping Company."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlehead,_Paisley
Ivan Sache, 24 March 2008 

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

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag (#526, p. 62).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#27
Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021

New Medway Steam Packet Co.

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 11 February 2008

Postcard collection reads "New Medway Steam Packet Co." and shows a ~2:3 vertical bicolor of very dark blue and dark red with a large white outlined of a rearing horse facing the fly.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 11 February 2008

New Palace Steamers

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 March 2009

When presenting the British excursion boat company ‘New Palace Steamers Ltd’, however briefly, its predecessor or parent company ‘Palace Steamers Ltd’ (founded 1888) should be mentioned. Besides taking over the ships of a failed Thames competitor, Palace Steamers had three large ships built: ‘Koh-i-Noor’, ‘Royal Sovereign’, and ‘La Marguerite’ but these were to be owned by separate companies and operated by the related ‘Victoria Steamboat Association’ to service the SE coast or cross the Channel. When these fine ships turned out to be not only popular but very costly as well, they were retaken by their shipbuilder Fairfield and operated under the name ‘New Palace Steamers Ltd’ (1894). One vessel was sold in 1904, the two others in 1918.

The house flag – a pennant, really – is shown on a postcard (drawing), the first image on this informative and well illustrated page at http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/NewPalace.html. It is a white field with blue cross edged yellow, serifed red initials in the corners: ‘N’ (upper hoist), ‘P’ (upper fly), ‘S’ (lower hoist), and ‘LTD (‘TD’ smaller and raised, placed above a dot; lower fly).

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 March 2009

But the on-line 1912 Lloyds Flags & Funnels shows a simpler flag; this is No. 1235 ‘New Palace Steamers Ltd., London’: there is no yellow edge. Perhaps Lloyds has a later version of the house flag. The following company poster merely shows a rudimentary pennant: http://website.lineone.net/~tom_lee/newpalace1899.htm. Lloyds is a great source, on the other hand the first picture must have had the company's blessing. One day we will know...

Additional information:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/NewPalaceSteamers.htm
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/VictoriaSteamboatAssociation.htm
Jan Mertens, 26 March 2009

Newry & Kilkeel Steam Ship Co. Ltd. This is the flag of Joseph Fisher & Sons Ltd. dating from 1897. For a long time they traded through the Newry & Kilkeel Steamship Co. Ltd. and, earlier, the Frontier Town Steamship Co. Ltd. By the mid 1960s the ships were only under their own name and they eventually faded from Lloyds around the early 1980s.
Neale Rosanoski, 26 February 2004

New York and Pacific Steam Ship Co., Ltd.

Grace Brothers & Co., Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows for the British branch established by the Grace brothers the same house flag (with the diamond not reaching the edges of the flag) (#1870, p. 126).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#91
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021

New Zealand Shipping Co., Ltd.

image by Jarig Bakker, 21 August 2004
.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum: New Zealand Shipping Co. Ltd, London: "A white flag with a red cross overall and the black initials 'N Z S Co' in the quarters. A pennant divided vertically into red white and blue above. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. The pennant and flag is on a single rope with a toggle attached. The pennant was originally a 'steam cornet' flown to indicate that the vessel was proceeding under steam as well as sail. It was added to the house flag when the company acquired steam assisted vessels."
However, the letters were blue according to Brown (1951) and Loughran (1979), and I think on the real flag too.
Jarig Bakker, 21 August 2004

As described in the Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930): "New Zealand Shipping Co. Ltd., London: white, a red St George's cross and blue letters (without serifs) in the corners: 'N' in upper hoist, 'Z' in upper fly, 'S' in lower hoist and 'Co' in lower fly, the 'o' raised with no dot. Above this flag, a pennant vertically divided red-white-blue, the height being one half of the flag's and slightly extending beyond it, say one fifth of its own length." Additionally you can see the same flag, without pennant, on this document.
Jan Mertens, 4 June 2004

A postcard collection shows a card that reads New Zealand Line and shows a white flag with a red cross throughout with (light?) blue letters reading "N", "Z", "S", and "Co", on each quadrant (host-fly, top-bottom), and a red, white, and blue vertical pennant hoisted above the flag. The pennant is much smaller (about 2/5ths of the flag's height, and the same length) than reported from the National Maritime Museum.
Antonio Martins-Tuvalkin, 5 May 2010

New Zealand Shipping Company House Flag (with Black Lettering)

     
images from Pete Loeser, 12 April 2022 - Based on this photo, and this photo.

Confusion exists on the descriptions of both the coloring and how the lettering in the fourth quadrant of the NZSC House Flag was done. Examples of actual flags remaining support all the various variants. This leads one to speculate that the company itself never establish any "official" standard and they simply manufactured and used these variants over their 100 year existence. For example, we have examples of the use or both black and blue colored lettering. We have "company" abbreviated as "C" and "C⁰" (with examples of the raised lowercase "o" both underlined and not underlined).
I'm not sure what the England "Saint George Cross" Flag (defaced with the blue rectangle) used on their cap badges is all about. Something for future researchers to discover.
Pete Loeser, 12 April 2022

NZSC Cap Badge

image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 April 2022

The New Zealand Shipping Company House Flag (with Blue Lettering)
used on cap badges, table flags, etc.

  
images from Pete Loeser, 12 April 2022 - Based on this photo of two table flags and the cap badge shown above.

The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was formed in Christchurch, New Zealand. Their ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973. In 1910 services to Australia and Canada where added. In 1973, ownership of all NZSC ships were transferred to the P&O Steam Navigation Company - P&O acquired over 40 different shipping lines worldwide - and the separate existence of New Zealand Shipping Company ended after its 100 year run. There were several variants the NZSC House Flag over those 100 years.
Sources: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London: Pope Collection and Wikipedia: New Zealand Shipping Company, and the P&O Steam Navigation Company website.
Pete Loeser 12 April 2022

[Also see: New Zealand Shipping Co., New Zealand.]

Neyland Steam Trawling & Fishing Co., Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 30 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Neyland Steam Trawling & Fishing Co., Ltd. (#1341, p. 100) as red with a white rectangle inscribing a red "N".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#65
Ivan Sache, 30 April 2021

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