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Gildemeister & Ries (German Shipping Company)

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

Brief History
Gildemeister & Ries
Rhederei "Visurgis" AG

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Brief History

The company was founded by August Wilhelm Gildemeister (26 March 1791 - 27 May 1866), son of Johann Gildemeister (1753-1837), a senator and merchant from Bremen, and Wulf Ludwig Ries (died 19. July 1868) from Marburg. Both went to the USA and established Gildemeister & Ries there in 1817, a trading company, mainly dealing with textiles. The company moved to Bremen in 1825 and there the shipping branch was established. First the business was coastal shipping alongside the Chinese shores, later the business was tramp shipping.
In 1897 the shipping branch became an independent company and was transformed into a limited company or joint stock company (German: Aktiengesellschaft / AG). The textiles company concentrated business on shipping and transportation of of silk and wool.
The new company was named "Visurgis", the Latin name of Weser River. The last wooden sailing ship was already sold in 1898. The number of iron sailing ships increased to 19 in 1905. The ship's names mostly began with an "N". Due to their grey coat of paint they were called "Bremen donkeys" by the local people. The business was tramp shipping, coal and smalls to China and Japan, and homeward bound grain from California and Oregon to Europe. An other line brought wood from Sweden and Norway to Australia, coal from Newcastle (NSW) to Chile and saltpetre from Chile to Europe. Due to decreasing cargo ratest he company declined, and at the end of WW1 the company faced the same trouble as every German shipping company and the rest of its fleet was confiscated. The company was dissolved in 1922 and its assets and liabilities were transformed to a new "Visurgis" steamship company.
Source: German WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

Gildemeister & Ries

It was a white swallow tail pennant, becoming more narrow at the fly, the edges were red except the hoist, where had been a chequered bar of white and red. In the white field was a black inscription "G&R". The chequered bar is referring to Bremen.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.12, image no.88
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

Rhederei "Visurgis" AG

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

It was a white triangular pennant, the edges were red except the hoist, where had been a chequered bar of white and red. In the white field was a black serifed inscription "G&R". The chequered bar is referring to Bremen.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.12, image no.89
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 July 2019

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