Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
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 image by Ivan 
Sache, 26 April 2021
Robert Hastie migrated to North Shields from Scotland some time between 1873 
and 1875. He began his career there as a fisherman, with his elder brother, 
William, but by 1894 had established a business as a ships chandler at Dawson's 
Quay, North Shields, trading as Robert Hastie and Sons. His sons Alexander, 
William and Robert followed him in the business which had diversified to include 
engineering by 1915. By that date the business had moved to Union Quay, North 
Shields and the engineering was carried on at Low Lights.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/622172e0-c897-48fa-974b-cbcc337b5e3f
The National Archives
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) 
shows the house flag of Robert Hastie & Sons (#730, p. 71) as white with a red 
fish framed in a blue rectangle.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/36/ 
 Ivan 
Sache, 26 April 2021
 image by Ivan 
Sache, 28 April 2021
Steamship "Hathor" used to sail between England and South America. Laden with 
coffee in Rio de Janeiro, the ship was caught during the night of 21 March 1909 
in a violent storm that drive it again the rocky coast of Ilhabela. It took 
three days to the crew to leave the ship using a Tyrolan traverse; they were 
eventually rescued by local fishers.
https://www.naufragiosdobrasil.com.br/naufhathor.htm 
Naufrágios do 
Brasil
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house 
flag of Hathor Steamship Company, Ltd. (H.B. & A. Gourlay) (#915, p. 80), a 
London-based company, as white with a thin red horizontal stripe on top and 
bottom and a green triangle in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/45/ 
 Ivan 
Sache, 28 April 2021
 image by Ivan Sache, 
28 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of John R. 
Haws & Co. (#936, p. 81), a Liverpool-based company, as blue with a white "H" 
inscribed in a blue diamond bordered in white.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/46/ 
Ivan 
Sache, 28 April 2021
 image by Ivan Sache, 6 
March 2004British shipping companies (H). Hay & Co. This company no longer
exists having been formed in 1844 In Lerwick, Shetland Islands and in its 
time involved in shipowning, boat building. Fishing and whaling, ship agency 
and sundry other things. In 1922 it changed its name to Hay & Co. (Lerwick) 
Ltd. [its old website ignores this and just claims to be Hay & Co.] and 
became part of John Fleming & Co. Ltd. before being sold in 1999 to OBC Group 
and becoming OBC Hay. The flag image is apparently based on the flag logo 
which can be seen at
http://www.hayco.co.uk/
Neale 
Rosanoski, 14 October 2013 
 image by Ivan 
Sache, 4 May 2021
Based on Sampson (1957)
James Dignan, 12 October 2003
Based in Glasgow, Scotland
Phil Nelson, 12 October 2003
British shipping companies (H). J. Hay & Sons. Formed about 1862 as J. Hay & 
Sons and later becoming J. Hay & Sons Ltd., the company was taken over by F.T. Everard & Sons Ltd.
  in 1956 although it continued to be shown in Lloyds up until the start of the 
1980s. I would imagine that use of its livery gradually ended. However the 
colour on its flag was blue for the bands and "H", not red. Blue is shown by all 
other sources [editions of Lloyds, Griffin, Brown, Talbot Booth and LJC] as I 
note in my comment of 15.6.2004 and since then I have acquired a copy of 
Sampson. In fairness to James there is no code given for the B&W hatchings but I 
have checked them against other flags shown and confirmed that unlike the only 
code shown, which is on p.273 which is for national ensigns, and which show a 
solid colour for blue, elsewhere horizontal lines equal blue whilst in all cases 
vertical lines equal red – and they are horizontal lines for this flag.
Neale 
Rosanoski, 14 October 2013 
J. Hay & Sons Ltd of Kirkintilloch were both boat builders and operators on the 
Forth and Clyde Canal which linked the rivers Clyde in the West and the Forth in 
the east. It wasn't too long before their operations extended out onto the Clyde 
and the west coast and Hebridean Islands.
Starting with a fleet of 
horse-drawn scows transporting coal, iron, timber and grain on the canal, in 
around 1857 Hay fitted some of his scows with simple non-condensing steam 
engines driving a single screw and also in 1857 took delivery of the first ever 
steam screw lighter to be built as such from scratch. This vessel, named 
"Glasgow", was built by David Swan at his Kelvin Dock yard on the canal.
In 
1867 William's two sons, James and John, took over the floundering boatbuilding 
business of Crawfords in Kirkintilloch and put it to work maintaining the 
family's fleet of canal boats. In 1879 they went into the business of operating 
coastal steamers on their own account with James running that side of the 
business and John continuing to manage the yard. They soon turned to building 
their own vessels and the "Helena" was launched that same year. In the ensuing 
decade the yard launched eleven vessels, ten for themselves and one, "Aniline" 
for a Falkirk owner. New-builds were launched broadside into the canal.
[...]
In 1888 the firm of J Hay & Sons Ltd was formally constituted by John Hay to run 
the coasting business. Shortly afterwards he took over the shipbuilding side of 
the business and renamed it J & J Hay Ltd. In the period from then until the 
start of WW1, the company built 14 vessels for its own fleet. In 1917 the yard 
was awarded an Admiralty contract for some barges with tanks for the carriage of 
oil from Grangemouth on the Forth to Bowling on the Clyde. Just as the work was 
completed the admiralty decided to lay a pipeline instead.
In 1921 the two 
companies were merged into J. Hay & Sons Ltd and in the inter-war years the 
company became the principal operator on the canal. During WW2, only three 
vessels were built at Kirkintilloch: VIC18, the Kaffir and the Boer. Their final 
build was the 1946 Chindit, for their own fleet.
Hay's shipyard at 
Kirkintilloch was demolished in 1954 although the slipway remained in use for 
ship repairs until 1961. During this time Hay required a reputation for rebuilds 
of salvaged lighters. As a vessel-operating company only by now, J & J Hay 
merged with G&G Hamilton in 1963 to form Hay-Hamilton Ltd, who in turn 
amalgamated with Ross & Marshall in 1969 to form Glenlight Shipping.
Alasdair MacKenzie
http://www.themackenzies.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/puffers/index.htm 
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of J. Hay & 
Sons (# 1887, p. 126) as swallow-tailed, white with a thin horizontal blue 
stripe at the top and bottom, charged in the center with a blue "H".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#91 
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021