Last modified: 2021-08-26 by rob raeside
Keywords: hammer and sickle: no star (yellow) | hammer and sickle: no star (white) | freighters and passenger ships soviet shipping company | trade and fishing fleet soviet shipping company |
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Information on the Soviet merchant fleet was not readily available in the West and it was not until the latter 1970s that Lloyds, instead of showing all vessels under the one "USSR" heading, were able to divide it into the various sections under which it actually operated. Originally the individual companies, and a couple still exist, were united under state control in 1917. Going by The Flag Bulletin [tfb] XI:1 1972, they were divided up under various Shipping Authorities, most of which had pennants (see list).
According to The Flag Bulletin the pennants of that time were authorized in the Decree of August 29th 1924 SZ SSR (1925) No. 27, item 185. As some of these have now been found to date from 30.7.1923 it is not clear whether there was an earlier Decree or whether this one legitimized their use. Another Decree dated January 15th 1926 abolished the pennants of the Baltic, Black Sea - Azov and Northern State Maritime Shipping Authorities which fits with the afore mentioned references.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
I’m not sure about the current status of these companies. The ships
and their routes naturaly go on existing, but the companies might have been
privatized, partly or entirely, split or joined to others, renamed, and/or
might have adopted new house flags.
António Martins, 17 Aug 2000
Some areas, considering the companies listed in these pages (see
coastal and riverine shipping in Soviet
Europe and Asia)
seem to have been left without a shipping company, notably the Obh river
(perhaps not enough population on its basin?), the Pacific coast, Baykal
lake, Ural river etc. Were there more companies than those on our pages?
If so, what about their flags?
António Martins, 22 Oct 2003
Pennant for ships of joint-stock company Sovtorgflot was adopted
by Soviet of People’s Commissioners (government) on 12 Feb. 1926.
It was red pennant with white hammer and sickle
in the corner. Ratio 5:1, height of H&S emblem - 1/2 of pennant width.
Victor Lomantsov, 02 Nov 2003
One single USSR house flag in the 1930 Larousee Commercial
[hok30], that of Sovtorgflot or Soviet
Commercial Fleet. Red triangular flag or pennant, a white
hammer and sickle in the left upper corner (no
star), filling 1/2 of the hoist. (Funnel: black with a red band.)
Jan Mertens, 01 Nov 2003
In the early 1960s Sovtorgflot was replaced by Morflot and the fleet was
divided into regional groups and 16 companies of which several still exist
amongst the individual countries that resulted from the Soviet breakup.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
I wonder if the author of [hok30]
depicted an existing pennant (variant?)
or just shifted the emblem to the upper left corner as is seen on the
USSR flag.
Jan Mertens, 01 Nov 2003
Colin Stewart’s Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours, 1953,
[ste59] also shows a large, yellow hammer
and sickle on a red pennant. It is slightly offset towards the fly. The
caption is simply «U.S.S.R. Merchants Ships». (The funnel
is show as vetrically white/black with a horizontal red band bearing
the yellow hammer and sickle.)
Ned Smith, 02 Nov 2003
According to Talbot-Booth [tbb36] in
Jane’s Warsaw Pact Merchant Ships Recognition Handbook of 1987,
the Soviet merchant fleet was managed by the Ministry of the Merchant Fleet,
known as Sovtorgflot, and in his books from 1927 to 1949 he shows this
as having a blue pennant bearing the yellow hammer and sickle
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
I found another Sovtorg flag in Elseviers Wereldatlas, 1951:
red burgee with in the center a yellow hammer and sickle, the sickle heavily
fimbriated red.
Jarig Bakker, 01 Nov 2003
In Ivanov’s book [iva71] site
the hammer and sickle in the Sovtorgflot pennant boldly fill the entire
hoist.
Jan Mertens, 01 Nov 2003, and Victor Lomantsov, 02 Nov 2003
Some information is found in this website:
Maritime transport in Russia became an independent sector in 1924 when the joint-stock company "Sovtorgflot" was formed to unite under its flag and auspices ships and vessels of various departments, ports and ship-repairing enterprises, as well as educational establishments. In 1974 the sector was awarded the Order of Lenin for outstanding achievements in the development of maritime transport and transportation of cargoes for the national economy including foreign trade.Of course, as such, this entity no longer exists.
Flag of the shipping company of freighters and passenger ships
of the USSR. Source: [swu88].
Jens Pattke, 03 Feb 2002
The USSR publication To The USSR by Sea published
c. 1970 gives long pennants for the passenger and cargo vessels
of the USSR Ministry of Merchant Marine as red with the gold hammer
and sickle in the canton.
These correspond apart from format to this flag
but in fact the rectangular flags correspond exactly with the funnel band
markings of these two sectors of USSR shipping.
Neale Rosanoski, 03 Sep 2005
This may have a bearing as the title shown here suggests that there was only one company concerned which would indicate Sovtorgflot and being pre 1960s. Possibly the basic emblem design is correct and Stewart 1953 [ste53] to 1959 [ste59] shows it but on a triangular flag — and positioned in the fly which may have no significance.
Then in the 1963 edition Stewart [ssy63] shows a pennant of the national flag i.e. red with the gold outlined star and crossed hammer and sickle placed in the upper hoist and this version is supported by Loughran in his 1979 book [lgr79] where he notes that «nearly all Russian merchant vessels» use this flag. However the use of pennants does appear to have been an established Soviet practice which makes the use of the rectangular flags shown here possibly suspect as house flags although they could be ensigns.
The Flag Bulletin [tfb] XI:1 1972 does not mention any such although it does detail an Ensign for Sea-going and River vessels of Osoaviakhim adopted July 18th 1940 which indicates that ensigns apart from the national version were used. This is possibly a moot point when dealing with state organizations which are more “government departments” than “companies” in the context of house flags.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
Flag of the shipping company of the trade and fishing fleet of
the USSR. Source: [swu88].
Jens Pattke, 03 Feb 2002
I cannot verify this from sightings of Russian fishing vessels seen
from the mid 1970s on as they only ever seemed to fly the ensign.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
The USSR publication To The USSR by Sea published
c. 1970 gives long pennants for the commercial fishery vessels belonging
to the Ministry of Fishing Industry a red pennant with the gold hammer
and sickle in the canton, bordered gold on the upper and lower edges.
These correspond apart from format to this flag
but in fact the rectangular flags correspond exactly with the funnel band
markings of these two sectors of USSR shipping.
Neale Rosanoski, 03 Sep 2005
Flag of the shipping company of the technological fleet of
the USSR. Source: [swu88].
Jens Pattke, 03 Feb 2002
Such a description sounds more like vessels under Government Ministries
which were outside the control of Morflot although presumably they did come
under predecessor Sovtorgflot. Talbot-Booth
[tbb36] does not specify on this point.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 Nov 2003
In The Caltex book of Flags and Funnels
[scx59], as # 3 is the Houseflag of
Russian Whale Factory Ships, Odessa — a red burgee with in the canton
a yellow hammer and sickle.
Jarig Bakker, 27 Dec 2004
The USSR publication To The USSR by Sea published c. 1970
gives long pennants for the passenger and cargo vessels of the USSR
Ministry of Merchant Marine as red with the gold hammer and sickle in
the canton
Neale Rosanoski, 03 Sep 2005
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.