✚1185✚ German DLL fleet insignia EMBROIDERED PATCH WW2 Deutsche Levante Line

Original German DLL Line fleet insignia EMBROIDERED WW2, NICE CONDITION, cca 50 mm

HISTORY OF THE AWARD:

Deutsche Levante Line is founded in 1889 to operate services to the Eastern Mediterranean, North African and Black Sea ports. Experimental services between the Mediterranean and New York were operated between 1902 - 1904 but then ceased. In 1910 the company amalgamated with Bremer Dampferlinie Atlas and in the same year took over the fleets of A. C. de Freitas and the Adria Line from H. C. Horn. By 1912 the company owned 54 ships and by 1914 Albert Ballinn and HAPAG owned a controlling interest in the company. In Aug.1914 with the outbreak of the Great War, all services were suspended and those in German ports were laid up. The remainder either took refuge in neutral ports, were sunk or captured or taken over by allied Turkey. After the end of the war, the company was obliged to surrender all their ships over 1,600 gross tons to the Inter Allied Shipping Commission as war reparations. By 1920 Deutsche Levante Line had disappeared as an independent company and became an integral part of HAPAG. In 1935 under a German Government system of rationalisation DLL separated from the parent company. In the later 1920s, North German Lloyd also became involved with DLL and even put some of it's ships under DLL colours and flag. When the Nazi Government came to power in Germany, they dismantled the large companies and Deutsche Levante Line was reformed as a seperate company. 14 ships were transferred from HAPAG and 3 from NGL into the new company. Most of their ships were lost during WWII and the surviving ones taken over by the Allies. The company was slowly rebuilt during the 1950s, but in 1956 the majority of shares were purchased by Rudolf A. Oetker who controlled Hamburg Sudamerikanische Line. In 1967 the funnels and colours of DLL were replaced by those of Hamburg Sud and by 1970 the company had disappeared completely.