Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Consolidated Steel Corporation
The Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Formed on 18 December 1928, the company built ships during World War II in two main locations: Wilmington, California, and Orange, Texas. It was created by the merger of Llewellyn Iron Works, Baker Iron Works and Union Iron Works, all of Los Angeles. The company entered the shipbuilding business in 1939. In 1948, now a pioneer producer of large-diameter pipelines, Consolidated Steel was renamed Consolidated Western Steel and acquired by U.S. Steel and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary.
The San Diego–based Consolidated Aircraft Corp. is not related and neither is the Union Iron Works of San Francisco. The company did not produce steel (the Llewellyn Iron Works did so during 1916 to 1923), neither from iron ores nor from pig iron, but rather fabricated standard steel mill product (plates and bars) into steel products (buildings, ships, pipes). In the 1950s, the company contributed ground equipment to the Project Nike missile system. In 1964, Consolidated was merged into the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel.
The Orange, Texas, shipyard lay on the banks of the Sabine River at (30°05′11″N 93°43′28″W / 30.086351°N 93.72434°W), a few miles upstream of the Sabine Pass that grants access to the Gulf of Mexico (Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc. in Beaumont, Texas, made use of it as well). Consolidated Steel bought the Orange Car and Steel Company (railcars) property in February 1940 with the original intention of going into the business of barge and tug construction. Before November 1922 this company was called the Southern Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company, which operated five building ways for wooden hull construction for the United States Shipping Board, of which six were launched and at least one, Gonzalis (1918), was fitted with engines.
The modest facilities were expanded when Consolidated Steel was awarded destroyer contracts from the U.S. Navy in September 1940. After the war the site was sold to U.S. Steel together with Consolidated's assets in Los Angeles and whatever was obtained from the merger with Western Pipe and Steel elsewhere. However, the wholly owned subsidiary and soon after the U.S. Steel corporate division both continued to operate as Consolidated Western Steel. The government-owned shipyard facilities were eventually bought by Consolidated Western Steel for $1,001,000 in the Summer of 1949, but not to be used for shipbuilding beyond the obligations imposed as part of the deal, to maintain this capability for some time. Another pipe mill was built in Orange during the boom years. At its peak durning the war, it employed 20,000 people. The first ship launched was the destroyer USS Aulick on March 2, 1942. The last ship launched was the destroyer USS Carpenter on December 28, 1945. United States Naval Station Orange was the overseer of the Navy projects.
Contracts for 12 Fletchers were authorized with the Two-Ocean Navy Act and awarded later in 1940 Fletchers were produced no more than six concurrently. Gearings were produced no more than ten concurrently. There were six slipways that could build one destroyer or destroyer escort and there were two side launching ways that could each build two destroyers or 3 destroyer escorts. The stern-first launching ways must obviously have been there first, see also launch photographs e.g.
Levingston Shipbuilding Company and Weaver Shipyards round up the landscape of WW2 shipbuilding in Orange.
The Consolidated Steel Wilmington shipyard (33°46′04″N 118°16′21″W / 33.76767°N 118.27254°W) in Wilmington, California was an emergency yard built in 1941 in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin after Consolidated Steel was awarded Maritime Commission contracts. At its peak, it employed 12,000 people, working on eight shipways on the 95-acre facility at 1100 W Harry Bridges Blvd, Wilmington. Production peaked on May 29, 1944, when it launched three large ships in only a 2+1⁄2-hour period. The yard was built as a temporary facility and, like most such war plants, it was closed after the war ended.
Together, the shipyards ranked Consolidated 29th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts.
Hub AI
Consolidated Steel Corporation AI simulator
(@Consolidated Steel Corporation_simulator)
Consolidated Steel Corporation
The Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Formed on 18 December 1928, the company built ships during World War II in two main locations: Wilmington, California, and Orange, Texas. It was created by the merger of Llewellyn Iron Works, Baker Iron Works and Union Iron Works, all of Los Angeles. The company entered the shipbuilding business in 1939. In 1948, now a pioneer producer of large-diameter pipelines, Consolidated Steel was renamed Consolidated Western Steel and acquired by U.S. Steel and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary.
The San Diego–based Consolidated Aircraft Corp. is not related and neither is the Union Iron Works of San Francisco. The company did not produce steel (the Llewellyn Iron Works did so during 1916 to 1923), neither from iron ores nor from pig iron, but rather fabricated standard steel mill product (plates and bars) into steel products (buildings, ships, pipes). In the 1950s, the company contributed ground equipment to the Project Nike missile system. In 1964, Consolidated was merged into the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel.
The Orange, Texas, shipyard lay on the banks of the Sabine River at (30°05′11″N 93°43′28″W / 30.086351°N 93.72434°W), a few miles upstream of the Sabine Pass that grants access to the Gulf of Mexico (Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc. in Beaumont, Texas, made use of it as well). Consolidated Steel bought the Orange Car and Steel Company (railcars) property in February 1940 with the original intention of going into the business of barge and tug construction. Before November 1922 this company was called the Southern Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company, which operated five building ways for wooden hull construction for the United States Shipping Board, of which six were launched and at least one, Gonzalis (1918), was fitted with engines.
The modest facilities were expanded when Consolidated Steel was awarded destroyer contracts from the U.S. Navy in September 1940. After the war the site was sold to U.S. Steel together with Consolidated's assets in Los Angeles and whatever was obtained from the merger with Western Pipe and Steel elsewhere. However, the wholly owned subsidiary and soon after the U.S. Steel corporate division both continued to operate as Consolidated Western Steel. The government-owned shipyard facilities were eventually bought by Consolidated Western Steel for $1,001,000 in the Summer of 1949, but not to be used for shipbuilding beyond the obligations imposed as part of the deal, to maintain this capability for some time. Another pipe mill was built in Orange during the boom years. At its peak durning the war, it employed 20,000 people. The first ship launched was the destroyer USS Aulick on March 2, 1942. The last ship launched was the destroyer USS Carpenter on December 28, 1945. United States Naval Station Orange was the overseer of the Navy projects.
Contracts for 12 Fletchers were authorized with the Two-Ocean Navy Act and awarded later in 1940 Fletchers were produced no more than six concurrently. Gearings were produced no more than ten concurrently. There were six slipways that could build one destroyer or destroyer escort and there were two side launching ways that could each build two destroyers or 3 destroyer escorts. The stern-first launching ways must obviously have been there first, see also launch photographs e.g.
Levingston Shipbuilding Company and Weaver Shipyards round up the landscape of WW2 shipbuilding in Orange.
The Consolidated Steel Wilmington shipyard (33°46′04″N 118°16′21″W / 33.76767°N 118.27254°W) in Wilmington, California was an emergency yard built in 1941 in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin after Consolidated Steel was awarded Maritime Commission contracts. At its peak, it employed 12,000 people, working on eight shipways on the 95-acre facility at 1100 W Harry Bridges Blvd, Wilmington. Production peaked on May 29, 1944, when it launched three large ships in only a 2+1⁄2-hour period. The yard was built as a temporary facility and, like most such war plants, it was closed after the war ended.
Together, the shipyards ranked Consolidated 29th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts.