Consolidated Steel Corporation

Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American industrial and shipbuilding business formed in Los Angeles on 18 December 1928 through the combination of Llewellyn Iron Works, Baker Iron Works, and Union Iron Works. Although its name suggested primary steelmaking, the company primarily fabricated and assembled commercial steel products from standard mill materials such as plates and bars. Its activities included structural steel, bridges, industrial buildings, tanks, pipes, railcar frames, marine equipment, and ship construction. One predecessor, Llewellyn Iron Works, had produced steel during an earlier period, but Consolidated Steel itself was principally a fabricator rather than an iron-ore or pig-iron producer. The company entered shipbuilding in 1939, initially extending its industrial capabilities into barges, tugs, cargo vessels, naval auxiliaries, and military landing craft. Its wartime operations grew rapidly at Orange, Texas, Wilmington and Long Beach in California, and other industrial sites. The Orange yard, acquired in 1940 from the Orange Car and Steel Company, was expanded after Consolidated received United States Navy destroyer contracts in September of that year. During World War II it built substantial numbers of destroyers, destroyer escorts, high-speed transports, landing craft, attack transports, cargo ships, and other naval or Maritime Commission vessels. The Orange facility launched the destroyer USS Aulick in March 1942 and the destroyer USS Carpenter in December 1945. At its wartime peak, the Orange operation employed approximately 20,000 people, while the Wilmington yard employed about 12,000. Wilmington was an emergency shipyard established in 1941 in the Port of Los Angeles area. Its eight shipways supported production of C1 cargo ships, C1-B cargo ships, C1-S-AY1 vessels later transferred to Britain, C1-M vessels, Tacoma-class frigates, Gilliam-class attack transports, and other military and commercial hulls. The yard became known for rapid production, including the launch of three large ships within roughly two and a half hours on 29 May 1944. Consolidated's wartime yards ranked highly among American corporations by the value of wartime production contracts. The company also supported military manufacturing beyond hull construction. Its Maywood-area operations produced landing craft, naval gun mounts, structural steel, welded large-diameter pipe, storage tanks, railcar frames, cement kilns, and other heavy industrial products. It contributed ground equipment to the Project Nike missile system during the 1950s and built the first blast furnace for the Kaiser Fontana integrated steel mill in 1942, later constructing another furnace for the same facility. After the war, Consolidated broadened its industrial footprint by acquiring the assets of Western Pipe and Steel Company of California in September 1945. It also participated with Bechtel interests in Philippine Consolidated Shipyards, which performed naval conversion, repair, and small-craft construction work from 1946 into the postwar period. The shipbuilding business contracted as emergency wartime facilities were closed or repurposed, while pipe, structural steel, and industrial-equipment manufacturing became increasingly important. In 1948 the company was renamed Consolidated Western Steel Corporation. A related corporate transaction transferred the business to United States Steel Corporation, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Consolidated Western Steel continued as a U.S. Steel operation, and in 1964 it was merged into U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division. The original Consolidated Steel Corporation therefore survives as a historical industrial identity rather than an active independent company. It should not be confused with Consolidated Aircraft Corporation of San Diego or with the separate Union Iron Works of San Francisco.

Consolidated Steel Corporation was created in Los Angeles on 18 December 1928 by merging three local industrial firms: Llewellyn Iron Works, Baker Iron Works, and Union Iron Works. These predecessor companies had competed in steel fabrication and erection. The resulting business consolidated manufacturing capacity and moved toward larger standardized facilities, including a major plant in the Maywood area during the early 1930s. Its principal activity was not integrated steelmaking. Instead, it purchased standard steel-mill products and fabricated them into structures, machinery, pipe, transportation equipment, and other finished industrial goods. The company's capabilities expanded during the late 1930s. It entered shipbuilding in 1939 and acquired the Orange Car and Steel Company property in Orange, Texas, in February 1940. The site had previously been associated with wooden-hull ship construction and included building ways along the Sabine River. Consolidated initially considered using the property for barges and tugs, but its role changed sharply after the United States Navy awarded destroyer contracts in September 1940. The Orange yard was enlarged and reorganized for mass production of destroyers, destroyer escorts, high-speed transports, and landing craft. At Orange, Consolidated built 12 Fletcher-class destroyers and 27 Gearing-class destroyers. It also produced large groups of Edsall-, Buckley-, and John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts, as well as Charles Lawrence-, Crosley-, and other high-speed transports completed as APDs. The yard constructed landing craft infantry and became a significant wartime employer, reaching approximately 20,000 workers at its peak. USS Aulick, launched on 2 March 1942, was the first ship launched there, and USS Carpenter, launched on 28 December 1945, was the last. After the war, the Orange facilities were sold with other Consolidated assets to U.S. Steel. The property was later acquired for continued industrial use, with the government sale including conditions designed to preserve shipbuilding capability for a period. Consolidated also operated major California shipbuilding facilities. The Wilmington yard was an emergency facility established in 1941 in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin. It occupied approximately 95 acres and used eight shipways. The yard built C1 cargo ships and numerous C1-B cargo vessels for commercial and wartime service, as well as C1-S-AY1 ships transferred to Britain, C1-M vessels, Tacoma-class frigates, Gilliam-class attack transports, C2 cargo vessels, and other military ships. Its production system emphasized repetition, standardized designs, and compressed schedules. Employment reached about 12,000, and on 29 May 1944 the yard launched three large ships in approximately two and a half hours. The Wilmington facility was intended as a temporary war plant and was closed after the conflict. The Long Beach shipyard was another important California facility. It had previously been operated by the Long Beach Shipbuilding Company and became operational before some of the later emergency installations. Among its output were C1-B cargo ships and two Doyen-class attack transports, USS Doyen and USS Feland. On Liberty Fleet Day in September 1941, the yard launched SS Alcoa Polaris as part of a nationwide demonstration of American shipbuilding capacity. The company's Maywood-area heavy-fabrication plant supported both military and civilian production. During World War II it completed hundreds of landing craft and produced twin 5-inch/38 naval gun mounts. Its broader product range included welded pipe in large diameters, structural steel for buildings and bridges, railcar frames, storage tanks, penstocks, cement kilns, and equipment for industrial plants. Consolidated also built the first blast furnace at the Kaiser Fontana steel mill in 1942 and later constructed a second furnace, which began operation in 1949. In the 1950s it supplied ground equipment associated with the Project Nike missile system. Consolidated expanded after the war by purchasing the assets of Western Pipe and Steel Company of California in September 1945. These assets included facilities in South San Francisco, Vernon, Taft, Fresno, and Phoenix. In 1946, Consolidated and Bechtel interests became involved with Philippine Consolidated Shipyards on Manicani Island and subsequently in Manila and Cavite. That enterprise performed naval conversion, repair, and small-craft construction, with the initial U.S. Navy work completed in 1947. The postwar company increasingly emphasized pipe and heavy industrial fabrication as emergency shipbuilding demand declined. On 1 July 1948 it changed its name to Consolidated Western Steel Corporation. A Delaware company of the same name was incorporated in August 1948 in connection with United States Steel's acquisition of the business. Consolidated Western Steel operated as a wholly owned U.S. Steel subsidiary. In 1964 the operation was merged into U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division, ending the independent corporate existence of Consolidated Steel Corporation. The company is distinct from Consolidated Aircraft Corporation of San Diego and from San Francisco's Union Iron Works.

1. 1964Merged into American Bridge Division

   Consolidated Western Steel was absorbed into United States Steel's American Bridge Division.

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2. 1948Renamed Consolidated Western Steel Corporation

   The corporate name changed as the business moved into U.S. Steel ownership.

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3. 1945Western Pipe and Steel assets acquired

   The company purchased Western Pipe and Steel Company of California's principal operating assets and smaller regional plants.

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4. 1942First Kaiser Fontana blast furnace constructed

   Consolidated built the first blast furnace at the Kaiser Fontana integrated steel mill.

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5. 1941Wilmington emergency yard established

   A temporary shipyard was established in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin for Maritime Commission and naval production.

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6. 1940Orange, Texas, property acquired

   The company purchased the Orange Car and Steel Company property and later expanded it for naval construction.

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7. 1939Entry into shipbuilding

   Consolidated Steel began operating in shipbuilding.

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8. 1930Maywood-area expansion planned

   The company acquired additional land near Slauson and Eastern avenues and planned a consolidated heavy-steel manufacturing plant.

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9. 1928Consolidated Steel Corporation formed

   Llewellyn Iron Works, Baker Iron Works, and Union Iron Works were combined in Los Angeles to form Consolidated Steel Corporation.

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A large-scale American heavy-fabrication and wartime shipbuilding contractor that converted standardized steel mill products into naval vessels, merchant ships, pipelines, structures, and industrial equipment.

• DestroyersNaval vessels1942

  Consolidated Steel's Orange, Texas, yard built Fletcher-class and Gearing-class destroyers for the United States Navy. The yard produced 12 Fletchers between 1941 and 1942 and 27 Gearings between 1944 and 1945, using multiple slipways and side-launching ways adapted for serial naval construction.

• Destroyer escortsNaval vessels1942

  During World War II, Consolidated constructed large numbers of destroyer escorts, including Edsall-, Buckley-, and John C. Butler-class vessels. These ships were designed for convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare and formed a substantial part of the Orange yard's wartime output.

• Cargo shipsMerchant vessels1941

  The Wilmington and Long Beach operations built C1 and C1-B cargo ships for the Maritime Commission and commercial operators. Production included vessels for American shipping companies and ships later assigned to British service under wartime arrangements.

• Landing craftAmphibious warfare craft1942

  Consolidated's Maywood plant completed 761 landing craft mechanized during World War II, while its shipyards also built landing craft infantry. These products extended the company's wartime role from ocean-going ships to amphibious logistics and assault equipment.

• Attack transportsNaval transports1942

  The company built Gilliam-class attack transports and completed Doyen-class attack transports at Long Beach. These vessels carried troops and landing equipment and were optimized for amphibious operations.

• Large-diameter welded pipeIndustrial steel products1948

  After the war, pipe became an increasingly important business. Consolidated manufactured large-diameter welded pipe for pipelines and industrial infrastructure, including plans for additional production capacity near the Houston Ship Channel.

• Structural steel and heavy industrial equipmentSteel fabrication1928

  The company's fabrication plants produced structural steel for buildings and bridges, railcar frames, storage tanks, penstocks, cement kilns, and other heavy equipment. This work reflected the company's core identity as a fabricator of standard steel mill products rather than an integrated primary steel producer.

• 1948Transfer the business into U.S. Steel ownershipM&A

  Consolidated Steel reorganized its corporate identity as its planned acquisition by a United States Steel subsidiary proceeded.

  What changed. The company changed its name to Consolidated Western Steel Corporation and became part of a U.S. Steel-controlled structure.

  Aftermath. The business continued as a wholly owned subsidiary before being merged into U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division in 1964.

  Acquisition price. 12481221 (1948)

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• 1945Acquire Western Pipe and Steel assetsM&A

  The end of the war created an opportunity to consolidate industrial assets and broaden the company's postwar fabrication and pipe businesses.

  What changed. Consolidated purchased Western Pipe and Steel Company of California's principal plants in South San Francisco and Vernon, together with smaller facilities in California and Arizona.

  Aftermath. The acquisition expanded the company's operating network and supported its shift away from temporary wartime shipbuilding.

  Purchase price. 6217373 (September 1945)

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• 1941Create a temporary Wilmington emergency shipyardStrategy

  Maritime Commission contracts required additional West Coast shipbuilding capacity during the rapid expansion of American wartime production.

  What changed. Consolidated established an eight-way shipyard in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin, using standardized designs and repetitive construction methods.

  Aftermath. The facility became a major producer of cargo ships, frigates, attack transports, and other vessels before closing after the war.

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• 1940Expand the Orange facility for naval productionStrategy

  The company acquired an existing railcar and steel property in Orange, Texas, initially considering barge and tug construction. Navy destroyer contracts created a stronger incentive to convert and enlarge the site for serial military shipbuilding.

  What changed. Consolidated expanded the modest riverfront yard, added production capacity, and organized it around destroyer, destroyer-escort, transport, and landing-craft contracts.

  Aftermath. The Orange operation became one of the company's largest wartime facilities and employed approximately 20,000 people at its peak.

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• 1964Consolidated merged into U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division

  The former Consolidated operation was absorbed into U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division.

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• 1948Company renamed Consolidated Western Steel

  The business adopted the Consolidated Western Steel name as it transitioned into a United States Steel-owned operation.

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• 1945Consolidated Steel acquires Western Pipe and Steel assets

  The postwar acquisition expanded Consolidated Steel's industrial and geographic footprint beyond its original Los Angeles operations.

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• 1944Wilmington yard reaches a rapid-launch production peak

  The Wilmington emergency yard launched three large ships in approximately two and a half hours on 29 May, illustrating the scale of wartime output.

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• 1942USS Aulick launched at Orange

  USS Aulick became the first ship launched by Consolidated Steel's Orange shipyard.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 1940Orange yard receives United States Navy destroyer contracts

  Naval destroyer contracts prompted major expansion of Consolidated Steel's Orange, Texas, facilities.

  Product launchOther
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• 1939Consolidated Steel enters shipbuilding

  The company expanded from steel fabrication into shipbuilding, establishing the basis for its later wartime production role.

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1. Consolidated Steel Corporation