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# Maritime Houseflags B (Australia)

## Australia

Last modified: 2026-05-02 by ian macdonald
Keywords: shipping: australia | broken hill proprietary co | bhp | burns philp and company | thistle | map: australia (stylised) |
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- Balmain Line of Steamers
- Balmain New Ferry Co. Ltd.
- Bay Steamers Pty. Ltd.
- Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Company
- Bellambi Coal Co. Ltd.
- BHP
- BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd.
- Boral Gas Ltd.
- Botany Bay Shipping Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
- Botany Bay Tanker Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
- Brambles Industries Ltd.
- Bridge Line Pty. Ltd.
- Brisbane Tug & Steamship Co. Ltd.
- British Phosphate Commissioners
- Broken Hill Proprietary Co.
- Brown Bros. / J. & A. Brown and Abermain Seaham Colliery Ltd
- Bulkships Ltd.
- Bulli Coal Mining Co.
- John Burke Pty. Ltd
- Burns, Philp & Company

See also:

- Maritime Houseflags (Australia)
- Index of worldwide maritime house flags
- Australia

## Balmain Line of Steamers

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

Balmain Line of Steamers was operated by Andrew Sneddon of Wallsend as a passenger service between Sydney and Newcastle until selling out in 1904. A blue flag with a white panel bearing a blue "S" was used as shown by The Log of 5/1994.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

"Balmain" 604 gross tons, 377 net. Lbd: 186' x 27'1" x 10'8". Steel steamship built by Dobie & Co., Glasgow for W Howard Smith & Sons Ltd., Sydney. Held a compounded engine producing 85 horsepower, 2 single ended coal fired boilers, 90 psi as constructed by James Jack & Co., Liverpool. Designed with passenger carrying capacity, she serviced the Melbourne and Sydney run as well as travelling as far as Fremantle and Queensland on occasion. August 1892 sold to A Sneddon, Sydney, who utilised her as a collier with passenger accommodation, servicing Sydney - Newcastle. Sneddon embraced the title 'Balmain Line of Steamers' and offered reduced fares in enticing passengers. Sold October 1904 to B Einerson & Partner, who converted her into a hulk. Sold in 1906 to Scott Fell Shipping Co., fate unknown.
http://www.flotilla-australia.com/coal.htm#balmain - Flotilla Australia website
Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

## Balmain New Ferry Co. Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

Balmain New Ferry Co. Ltd. Sydney ferry company operating around the beginning of last century until taken over by Sydney Ferries Ltd. in 1917. From The Log 2/1987 a red flag with a narrow diagonal blue band from lower hoist to upper fly and the white letters "BN" [upper hoist] and "Co." [lower fly]
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Year started: 1892 - Year ended: 1917.
Vessels: Lady Mary, Lady Napier, Millie, Lady Manning, Lady Hampden, Excelsior, Balmain, Waterview, Bald Rock, Lincoln, Me Mel, Lady Rawson, Lady Northcote, Pearl III, The New Era/Drummoyne, Iris, Daphne, Leichhardt, Lobelia, Birkenhead, Rose II, Shamrock, Lady Linda, Lady Carrington, Lady Chelsford, Lady Denman, Lady Edeline, Lady Scott, Lady Ferguson.
http://www.ferriesofsydney.com/companies/BNF.html
The company has remained famous for the case of "Roberston v The Balmain New Ferry Co. Ltd." (1904). Archibald Nugent Robertson is today remembered as "the dickhead who went to the Privy Council over a penny."
http://www.unistudyguides.com/wiki/Balmain_New_Ferry_Co_Ltd_v_Robertson - Synopsis
http://sydney.edu.au/law/slr/slr31/slr31_4/Lunney.pdf - Detailed account by Mark Lunney
Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

## Bay Steamers Pty. Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

Bay Steamers Pty. Ltd. were a Melbourne ferry company from 1911to 1942 with a white flag bearing a red cross surmounted by a red circle which was edged white from the cross and bore a blue saltire from The Log 2/1987.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Company

image by Miles Li, 6 August 2016

The Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company Limited (1882-1939) was based in Port Fairy (formerly known as Belfast), Victoria, Australia.
Source: Peter Plowman, "Passenger Ships of Australia & New Zealand", Volume I, Doubleday, Sydney, 1981. ISBN 0868240362
Miles Li, 6 August 2016

## Bellambi Coal Co. Ltd.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

Bellambi Coal Co. Ltd. Formed in Wollongong in 1888 it was involved in shipping from then until 1953 using a black flag with a white diamond bearing the black letters "BCC" from The Log 11/1987.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Boral Gas Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Boral Gas Ltd. Formed in 1946 as Bitumen & Oil Refineries (Australia) Ltd. it changed to Boral Ltd. in 1964. They appear to have entered shipping around 1968 through their subsidiary Liquefied Gas Carriers (Fiji) Ltd. who flew their flag, then taking direct control of the fleet around 1990, their flag, from The Log 8/1985, being white with a horizontally halved panel of yellow over green placed below the black legend "BORAL". At the end of 1999 the energy side of the Boral business was separated from the building and construction materials side and placed under a new company, Origin Energy Contracting Ltd. Their flag, being white containing the 1st two words of their title, and is made a bit interesting by the use of differing colours [see larger image taken from a funnel photo to more clearly show the makeup of the "O"], the flag being sighted and photographed by myself being flown by the "Pacific Gas" in 2003.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Botany Bay Shipping Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 Dec 2005

Botany Bay Shipping Co. (Australia), Ltd., Sydney - bright blue burgee, white "BB".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2005

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Botany Bay Shipping Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd. The Log of 8/1987 shows a different flag of a blue pennant bearing a white map of Australia on which was the red letters "BB". In 1991 the company changed its name to Botany Bay Management Services Pty. Ltd. and currently still trades as such.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Botany Bay Tanker Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Botany Bay Tanker Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd. Formed 1970 as a joint venture of Caltex Oil (Australia) and H.C. Sleigh with the latter selling out in 1982 resulting in a name change in 1983 to Caltex Tanker Co. (Australia) Pty. Ltd. As Botany Bay Tanker Co. the flag was white with a yellow ring enclosing a star, red in upper and blue in lower, broken in the middle by the white field on which was the black legend "BBTC" sourced from The Log 8/1987. The star combined the red of Caltex with the blue of Sleigh.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Brambles Industries Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Brambles Industries Ltd. This long established Australian group ventured into shipping in 1970 but got out in the mid 1990s. The Log 8/1986 shows the Brambles Shipping Division having a white flag with narrow black bands top and bottom and nearing a blockish "B" slightly angled to fly and having all straight lines "curves"
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Bridge Line Pty. Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Bridge Line Pty. Ltd. Operated in the 1990s as charterers. According to The Log of 5/1990 and reported sightings the flag was red with a narrow white saltire surmounted by an undefined white oblong bearing a black outlined and shaded "B" with "black eyes". Blue Star Line Ltd. were involved and appear to have ultimately absorbed it.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Brisbane Tug & Steamship Co. Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Brisbane Tug & Steamship Co. Ltd. Formed in 1903 as the Brisbane Tug Co. and changing name in 1911 it lasted until 1952 with a blue flag bearing a red cross paty from The Log 2/1987.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## British Phosphate Commissioners

image by Ben Cahoon, 23 April 2026

British Phosphate Commissioners. Head office was Melbourne with ships registered London, it was a tripartite consortium setup between the governments of Australia [42%], UK [42%] and New Zealand [16%] in 1920 to mine phosphate on Nauru, Ocean Island and Christmas Island and was wound up after the last named ceased operations in 1981 although its ship-owning had ceased a few years previously. The flag was red with a circle of horizontal bands of blue-white-blue with on the white the black letters "B.P.C." as shown by the Stewart editions 1953-1963, Brown 1958, the LJC chart of 1966 and The Log 5/1990 & 5/1986. A slightly different version is shown by US Navy 1961 with blue letters.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Broken Hill Proprietary Co.

#### Pre 1985 flag

image by Jarig Bakker, 7 Aug 2004

From the link provided by Barbara Tomlinson of The National Maritime Museum http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html/:

> The house flag of The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd, Melbourne. A rectangular flag divided diagonally into red and blue by a white stripe from top right to bottom left. Inscribed on the stripe is 'B. H. P.' 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.

> The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd was a major conglomerate based in Melbourne whose principal interest was mining. It entered shipowning in 1927. The company has now merged with Billiton Ltd and is known as BHP Billiton Ltd.

Jarig Bakker, 7 August 2004

#### Pre 1985 jack

image by Jonathan Dixon, 24 Oct 2005

The ships used to also fly a stem jack in port being blue with a red oval bearing a white diagonal band charged with the black letters "BHP".
Neale Rosanoski, 4 August 2005

#### 1985 flag

image by Jarig Bakker, 5 Oct 2005

BHP subsequently used a logo on a white field beginning in 1985 with the logo being based on the letters "b", "h" and "p" and also having a loose resemblance to the shape of Australia being coloured charcoal blue and turquoise blue with the charcoal being standard but the divisions of the company varying the other colour.
Neale Rosanoski, 4 August 2005

#### 1994 flag

image by Jonathan Dixon, 24 Oct 2004

In 1994 the logos of the group were standardized to one of dark charcoal. In 2001 BHP Billiton announced a new logo which presumably will have resulted in a new flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 4 August 2005

## BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. Formed in 1985 its fleet in the early part of this century came under another division but according to The Log of 2/1998 it has used the BHP logo but in red and grey.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Brown Bros. / J. & A. Brown and Abermain Seaham Colliery Ltd.

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 July 2010

One of many flags presented by the State Library of Tasmania is that of a firm named Brown Bros. (Brothers):
Red field, blue diamond touching the flag’s edges and bearing a white initial "B" without serifs.

It is stated that this company owned the ship Stephen Brown although Coal and Allied Shipping is also named in this capacity. A pennant of this vessel may be seen at this State Library page:

Caption: “Navy blue pendant flag with 'Stephen Brown' in white lettering. A paying off pendant was made when a ship finished its service, and the length of the flag is 1ft for each year of service. The 'Stephen Brown' was a 60 miler that carried coal from Newcastle to Sydney before being sold to the AMC (Australian Maritime College).”

Surely this is a simple onomast also known as name pennant, not a paying-off pennant as used by a navy?

“Brown Bros.” is connected to “J. & A. Brown and Abermain Seaham Colliery Ltd” of Sydney – see this Aberdeen Built Ships page about what must have been the ship in question.

See also Coal & Allied. This firm was founded after the merger of Brown & Abermain Seaham with Caledonian Collieries in 1960. In fact Abermain and Seaham had merged in 1922 joined by J. and A. Brown in 1931; the largest shareholder was Adelaide Steamship.

Additional info: CareerOne page on Coal and Allied [no longer accessible] and entry for photo of Abermain No.2 Colliery at Demetrius repository, ANU. The above seems to indicate pre-1960 use of the house flag, the name pennant may have been in use after that.
Jan Mertens, 17 November 2009

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

J. & A. Brown. Engaged in the coal business after emigrating to Australia in 1842 and becoming involved in shipping by 1857. The flag, from The Log 11/1987, was red with a blue diamond throughout bearing a white " B" which was retained when the company amalgamated in 1931 into J. & A. Brown Abermain Seaham Collieries Ltd., and even lasted into that company eventually becoming Coal and Allied Industries Ltd., until 1980.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

With regard to the ship "Stephen Brown" it was built in 1954 for J & A Brown & Abermain Seaham Collieries and consequently passed to their successor Coal & Allied Industries Ltd. before being sold in 1983 to the Australian Maritime College for mooring as a training ship. I agree with Jan that it is unlikely to be a paying off pennant and the use of individual name pennants basically went out with house flags. My pick is that that it has nothing to do with the ship's working career in the coal trade but was given to the ship when it became a training ship for AMC. The flag held by the Museum is in excellent condition – too good to be 27 years old I would have thought.
Neale Rosanoski, 12 December 2010

## Bulkships Ltd.

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

Bulkships Ltd. Formed in 1958 by a consortium of Australia's oldest shipping companies it ended up 1982 becoming TNT Bulkships Ltd. having been fully taken over by TNT Pty. Ltd. The Log of 11/1987 gives a yellow flag with a blue circle edged red bearing a "B" with the colour of the letter assumed as not given for the B&W drawing.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Bulli Coal Mining Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 September 2015

Bulli Coal Mining Co. An early company operating by at least 1860, it entered shipping in 1873 and was liquidated in 1894. The flag from The Log 2/1998 was blue with a white cross charged wholly at the fesse point with a red diamond.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## John Burke Pty. Ltd

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

John Burke Pty. Ltd. Based Brisbane it originated 1877 with Captain John Burke becoming a limited company as John Burke Ltd. in 1915. It ceased trading in 1989 with liquidators appointed although by then it was no longer owned by the Burke family. The original flag was green with a central vertical red band on which was placed an ornate white "B" as shown by The Log 2/1998, Stewart 1953-1963 & Brown 1958 whilst US Navy 1961 shows an ordinary "B".
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

image by Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

After it had been taken over in 1968 the "B" became a normal block letter and then towards the end of its existence a new white flag with the green letters "JB" placed diagonally was adopted with the source being The Log 8/1991.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 March 2010

## Burns, Philp & Company

image by Jarig Bakker, 17 Jan 2005

Burns, Philp & Company, Limited, Sydney: A vertical slanting triband Red White Blue; on the white band a green device (a thistle?).
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies [wed26].
Jarig Bakker, 17 Jan 2005

The design is a thistle. The Brown series from 1943 and the post WW2 editions of Stewart all show the bands as vertical but Australian nautical sources do not note any change so they seem to have got it wrong.
Neale Rosanoski, 4 August 2005