House flag, James Fisher & Sons

The house flag of James Fisher & Sons, Barrow-in-Furness and Heysham Harbour. A white rectangular flag with a broad red border and a blue 'F' in the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.

The company was originally founded in 1847 by James Fisher who invested in ships to transport iron ore mined in the Cumbrian hills from the port of Barrow in Furness. By the 1870s he owned one of the largest coasting fleets in the country and in the 1880s added the first steamers to the fleet (the last sailing vessel was sold in 1925). The firm, which remained in family hands until 1983, not only shipped basic bulk goods, such as coal, stone and grain around the coast, but also built up a reputation for handling heavy and abnormal loads- from railway locomotives and gun mountings for worships to power generators and shipments for the nuclear industry. The company operated a varied fleet of vessels, latterly focussing on coastal tankships, heavy lift RO vessels, nuclear fuel carriers, cableships and a dive support vessel. By 2000, the company was unusual in still operating a British crewed fleet under the British flag. Since then, it has increasingly become involved in the provision of marine services which now provide almost half the company income.