RANKIN, GILMOUR & CO.

Pollok, Gilmour’s flag continued for a time after the shipping interests were concentrated, and Griffin 1895 still attributes it to Rankin, Gilmour.

The Rankin Gilmour, Strang funnel formed the basis of Saint Line’s, with broader white bands adopted by 1904 while the flag still retained P as in R101. Lloyds and Reed 1912 show the R98 change. The source also dates the broader-banded R98 funnel to 1904, so the transition is not entirely consistent. Reed’s earlier flags omit dots after letters; LJC 1930 omits the dot after G. Mitchell makes the white funnel bands narrower than the intervening red.

Stewart and MN show Saint using Mitchell, Cotts’s flag after the Second World War while retaining its own funnel. Rosanoski questions the latter detail because Mitchell gives the manager’s funnel for the final three vessels, while its R98 examples are pre-war ships.