ERNST RUSS GMBH & CO. K.G.

R23 — *image by Jarig Bakker, 11 September 2005*

R52 — *image by Jorge Candeias, 24 May 2004*

R258 — *image by Jorge Candeias, 25 May 2004*

The star recalls Martha Russ’s wish at the company’s foundation: “May a lucky star guide us on our way”. The white flag has red ER, vertically centred but slightly towards the fly, and a six-pointed red star in the canton.

Most sources from Lloyds 1904 to the Second World War show six points. German sources from Massary 1930 show five, as does Brown 1943. Brown omits the flag in 1951, returns to six points in 1958 with two points vertical, and uses five again in 1978. The size of the letters also varies.

The white flag has narrow red stripes near its upper and lower edges, a red five-pointed star near the hoist and red ER. Brown records the bands from 1982, before the 1992 name change. The funnel is confirmed on Helena Russ, with full-sized and table flags also photographed on the company website.

Brown notes that some flag-of-convenience vessels omit the funnel letters and others carry the markings on white funnels with black tops. R24 is confirmed on Pauline Russ and Louise Russ. Nüsse also supplies a table flag.

Mitchell labels this funnel “free flag” colours, without further explanation.

The newer white flag has one narrow red stripe near the top, red ER centred in the lower four-fifths, and a small red five-pointed star near the upper-left extremity of the E. Rosanoski found no such flag in the website’s event photographs but considered funnel-band photographs from 1996 and December 2006 evidence for the design. The funnel is documented on CSAV San Antonio on 30 December 2006.

The company unveiled a new corporate design in April 2003, which Rosanoski presumes produced R259. Martha Russ shows the flag panel attached across the full height of the funnel band. The flag is confirmed by a company photograph and Nüsse’s table example; apparent off-centre placement of its red bar is tentatively attributed to the sleeve.

This swallowtail appears as a small, probably paper decoration at the April 2003 celebrations. It seems double-sided because the reverse reads like the obverse. Its use as an actual flag is doubtful.