Civil ensign

As a merchant flag, the flag is called being hoisted by merchant ships and other vessels in private ownership as the national flag. An obsolete term for the merchant flag is Kauffahrteiflagge.

The merchant flag is next to the war flag of the two original forms of the national flag. In most countries, originally led all ships the same flag, regardless of whether they were in private or government-owned, and regardless of whether they were armed or unarmed. Over time, however, a distinction between the flag for the armed vessels of the state ( the Navy and other armed forces) formed in many countries ( first mainly UK) and the flag for the private, unarmed ships out. Some countries, such as France and the United States, still have only one flag for all purposes of navigation ( national flag ).

Today the merchant flag is the flag for all ships that are registered in a country other than they are entitled to another, different flag. The right to their leadership is awarded by a state flag testimony.

  • 2.1 Historic Austrian trade flags
  • 4.1 Red Ensigns British model
  • 4.2 From the National Flag deviate substantially from
  • 4.3 national flag with additional emblem
  • 4.4 Simplified version of the national flag
  • 4.5 different from the national flag only in the proportions

The German merchant flag

The German merchant flag is the simple German flag ( black-red -gold). As such, it is since 1950 in the Federal Republic of Germany, and performed in the reunified Germany since 1990.

Historic German trade flags

North German Confederation 1867-1871

German Empire 1871-1919

German Empire (from 1896 for vessels whose captains are former naval officers )

Weimar Republic 1919-1933

Weimar Republic (alternatively, from 1921 for vessels whose captains are former naval officers )

German Empire 1933-1935

German Empire 1935-1945

Occupation zones 1946-1949/1950

Federal Republic of Germany and GDR 1949-1959

GDR 1959-1973

GDR 1973-1990

The Austrian merchant flag

The merchant flag of Austria since 1919, the Austrian flag red -white-red in the proportions 2:3. It is run by both ships and inland vessels.

Historic Austrian trade flags

Austria - Hungary 1869-1918

Switzerland's merchant flag

As a landlocked country, Switzerland had until the Second World War no maritime and therefore no special merchant flag. The barges led ( and usually lead even today ) the flag of Switzerland in the square Format.Für the few ocean-going vessels in 1941 introduced a flag in the proportions 2:3.

Commercial flags of other countries

In many countries, the merchant flag with the general national flag is identical, for example, in France, the U.S., Russia, the Netherlands. Commercial flags, which differ from the general national flag, can be divided into five categories:

  • Red Ensign on the British model, ie red flags with (mostly ) of the respective National Flag in the upper canton. This model is used in a whole series of former British colonies. The trade flags of territories that are British colonies today are Red Ensigns with the respective coat of arms in the flying end.
  • Significantly different from the national flag commercial flags, such as Malta or Luxembourg.
  • National flags with an additional emblem, such as the Polish coat of arms or inscription DIOS UNION LIBERTAD in the Salvadoran merchant flag.
  • Simplified national flags, that is, the simpler version of the national flag without the coat of arms. In many Latin American countries, it is practice to use the simpler flag as merchant flag ( and to some extent civil flag to country), while government agencies and the military run the version with the coat of arms.
  • Commercial flags, which differ only in the proportions of the national flag: use some former British colonies for flags to country the proportions 3:5, 1:2, however, the sea; in the successor states of Yugoslavia, the situation is reversed, there is the lake 2:3, 1:2 used to country.

Red Ensigns British model

From the national flag deviate substantially from

National flag with additional emblem

Simpler version of the national flag

Different from the national flag only in the proportions

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