As old as tyme itself, heraldry has told & shown us who's who and whats what, tells us who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. It denotes a what, where and how in many case and it can make us feel elated or fearful. Ships are no different. Parrish & Heimdeker, was once a fleet of ships on the Great Lakes. They where as ships go, well maintained and in their b&w livery were always welcome by photographers as they photographed so well. Not saying that other vessels didn't as they did, just these ones did better The stack mounted shield was was cut from steel and designed with a flourish, stood out stark & clear letting everyone know who & what it was. All ships carried their company markings & colors on their stacks and also carried a house flag which was flown from the forward mast. The house flag for P & H was as was the stack shield also b & w. Back in the heyday of great lakes shipping it was interesting to watch the comings and goings of the vessels, see the different markings especially at the locks at Welland, the Soo and other places along the Seaway. Sadly today the great colorful fleets that roamed the lakes are no more, struck down by a variety of reasons, some economic some gobbled up by larger fleets and some just faded away......thanks for the peek.