COSULICH.

The Austro-Americana flag is uncertain in detail. Lloyds 1904 and 1912 show twelve checks in each hoist column, while Reed 1912 shows ten. The field has two groups of four narrow bands, red–white above and white–red below, separated by a broader central band of diagonal red-and-white quarters, with a black A in each white quarter. The centre occupies about a third of the flag. Bonsor omits the hoist checks, gives each outer group three red and three white bands and makes the initials red, without clarifying the bottom band’s colour.

After 1919 the hoist checks disappeared and the central diagonal quarters became green and white. The black letters are C and T in Brown 1926 and the 1933 cigarette cards, but C and L in Brown 1929, Reid-Corson and Bonsor. T could stand for Trieste; Rosanoski does not establish the meaning of L and cautions that the latter sources may not provide independent support. Brown 1926 appears to give the funnel a narrow black base as well as its black top, which he assumes incorrect.

Larousse Commercial Illustré shows upper and lower red–white–red groups around a central band divided diagonally into green upper and lower triangles and white side triangles. Black C and T occupy the broad outer ends of the white triangles; the three main bands are in proportions 4:7:4. Its funnel is red–white–red with a black top. C749 represents this version; the P in the FOTW C626 rendering should be T. Most other sources insert an extra white band between the green-and-white centre and the red bands.

The revived company’s flag has nine red-and-white horizontal stripes and two vertical hoist stripes in opposite colours. An initial yellow rendering was changed to white following Al Fisher’s comment, and the company website confirmed red and white. Charles Dragonette relates the colours to the company’s Austrian origins rather than Bremen. Rosanoski doubts Loughran’s attribution of this flag to the earlier company that merged into Italia.