FURNESS WITHY GROUP.

Burrell dates adoption of the early livery to 1877 and its use to the end of the brothers’ partnership in 1882. The black funnel continued until Lord Furness’s death in 1912; an earlier proposed change after Manchester Liners’ formation was reversed following R.B. Stoker’s objections. The Ships List gives the black funnel a longer span, 1870–1912.

Christopher’s 1882 flag was the Union Flag defaced at the cross centre by a white square, with a blue border and blue F according to Bonsor. About 1886 naval authorities at Halifax objected to use of a national ensign, prompting the blue flag with white F, although Bonsor dates that flag to 1878.

Reed 1891 shows the panel border and F in black. The FOTW rendering is based on Graham Bartram’s 3:5 variant.

Merchant Ships describes a white rectangle with a black letter defacing the Union Flag. Reed’s panel does not occupy the entire central area of the cross.

The blue flag with white F is documented on Newcastle City, built in 1883. Originally Furness Line colours, the livery continued under Furness Withy and also appears for Neptune, Norfolk & North American and Gulf Line. Rosanoski considers FOTW’s assignment to German agents Gläfcke & Hennings an error.

The Ships List dates this funnel to 1912–1920 and describes it as “blue with a blue band containing a white F”.

Burrell dates this funnel’s adoption to about 1913; Bonsor supplies no adoption date.

Bonsor dates the funnel to 1921, while The Ships List gives use from 1920 to 1999. It follows Prince Line’s pattern without the Prince of Wales feathers. The livery is also assigned to Bermuda & West Indies, although some sources give that company a separate funnel while retaining the Furness flag. Prince and Rio Cape, Houlder and Manchester Liners retained their own liveries; Rosanoski interprets Loughran’s claim that Prince adopted the Furness funnel as referring only to its format, since the feathers remain.

The tapered swallowtail has a circle and white F in the canton. Adoption is variously dated 1946 by Burrell, 1949 in the Talbot-Booth-based account and 1951 by Bonsor; Rosanoski rejects 1951 because Merchant Ships already showed it in 1949. The National Maritime Museum specimen is dated about 1951 and measures 1143 by 1879.6 mm. Harnack’s ordinary rectangular swallowtail is considered wrong: a 1952 sailing schedule says its shape should match Prince Line’s. Later colour plates correct it, but fleet-list images retain the error. Bermuda & West Indies and Johnston Warren also used this livery.

Burrell dates this livery to 1980, but does not specify the funnel, whose application Rosanoski assumes.

The flag was adopted about 1980. Its funnel association is assumed. A later animated website flag logo suggests the flag may still have been in use, though no flag was apparent on the photographed chartered ships.

Used from about 1971 as a land flag only, this bears the group insignia nicknamed the “drunken fork”.

Marinart describes a dark-red funnel for Furness Withy and Johnston Warren. It may be F7 with its lower black section hidden by a shorter funnel.

The funnel is documented on chartered Furness London, port side in November 2010, and Triton Stork, starboard on 16 October 2008.