^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Ahrenkiel (German Shipping Company)

Chr. F. Ahrenkiel, Hamburg

image by Jorge Candeias, 13 May 2004

Chr. F. Ahrenkiel, Hamburg
Ahrenkiel flag with canton
Michael Jebsen

See also:

Chr. F. Ahrenkiel, Hamburg

This flag is a blue field with a rather complex symbol consisting of a trio of fishes surrounded by a pair of branches. The source is not clear enough to get into more detail than this - there's no way we could get species information, on the plant or on the fish.

Now, this flag is very similar to the flag Joseph Nuesse's House Flags site shows for a company called "Chr. F. Ahrenkiel Hamburg". The main difference is
that the flag on my source has no canton.

The other main difference is in the caption. It is not readable, but I don't think the initials have anything in common with the initials of "Chr. F. Ahrenkiel Hamburg". The first initial, the "stand-alone" initial, so to speak, looks suspiciously as an M (or, perhaps, an H), the second one, the one in the first word is very probably a Z, and the last one just has to be an A, which is the only similarity with the above.
Jorge Candeias, 13 May 2004

In Wolter's "See und Seefahrt", 1968 the flag is shown with the canton for Christian F. Ahrenkiel - Ahrenkiel & Bena, Hamburg.
Jarig Bakker, 13 May 2004

Ahrenkiel flag with canton

image sent by Reinhard Kluge, 9 May 2005

Can you please advise me what flag it is in the attachment. It seems to be a local flag from the Hamburg region, Germany.
Reinhard Kluge, 9 May 2005

That is the houseflag of Christian F. Ahrenkiel, Hamburg, and Ahrenkiel & Bene, Hamburg. Bigger image at this website (bottom).
Jarig Bakker, 9 May 2005

Michael Jebsen

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 June 2007

Michael Jebsen: I was very surprised to see a flag like that of Ahrenkiel but with another name. The version depicted in chapter 16 of source has however golden objects on a blue cloth (three fish and garland). The company was located in Apenrade (today: Aaabenraa), existed from 1898 to 1901 and was running a passenger- and cargo-line to Tsingtau, in those days being the harbour of German protectorate Kiautschou. The companies history you can read according to source in Ernst HIEKE: "Die Reederei M.Jebsen A.G. Apenrade", 1953.
On the flagchart of source the depicted flag is totally the same like that one of Ahrenkiel. There is also depicted a completely black funnel. So I think, the version, described by Jorge Candeias on 13 May 2004 might be a Jebsen flag instead of an Ahrenkiel variant.
(see attached file: de~mjebsen.gif)
Source: Arnold KLUDAS: Die Geschichte der deutschen Passagierschiffahrt (5 Bde.), Hamburg 1986; Reprint Laibach Slovenia-Buch Nr. 03617-8, p.223
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 June 2007