House Flags of U.S. Shipping Companies: R

Ravenscroft Shipping Inc.

  by Jarig Bakker

Ravenscroft Shipping Inc. (Coral Gables, FL) - blue charged with white circle and stylized "R"
http://www.ravenscroft.net/main.htm
Dov Gutterman, 12 October 2003

Red D Line (Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co.)

Red D Line (Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co), Philadelphia (1838-1938)
The Red D Line was the main transportation link between the United States and Venezuela for 100 years. The company took its trade name from the red D on its white flag, which stood for (John) Dallett, a Philadelphia merchant who went to Venezuela in 1823 soon after the country gained its independence from Spain. There he went into business with the influential merchant John Boulton. Dallett returned to Philadelphia and set up a business shipping cargoes to Boulton, and in 1838 began chartering sailing vessels to carry his merchandise. The company built an excellent relationship with the Venezuelan government and business community, but eventually decided to get out of the shipping business when the 1936 Merchant Marine Act terminated the system of mail contracts under which shipping companies had been subsidized. The company was sold to the Grace Line in 1937, which then merged the Venezuelan operations into Grace's overall service to South America. According to Pedraja's Historical Dictionary, the loss of the special relationship with Red D was instrumental in prompting the Venezuelan government to establish its own merchant fleet.
Sources: Lloyds 1912, Wedge (1926), National Geographic (1934), Talbot-Booth (1937)

Joe McMillan, 17 November 2001

The Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co. was a  successor to Bliss Dallett & Co. and was taken over by Grace in the late 1930's.  It relocated from Philadelphia to New York City as Philadelphia lost importance as a port

anon., 18 February 2003

Red Star Packet Line

  by Joe McMillan

Red Star P