Consolidated Steel Corporation

Orange shipyard in 1945, Levingston Shipbuilding Company just below the upper bend

The Orange, Texas shipyard lay on the banks of the Sabine River at (30.086351°N 93.72434°W / 30.086351; -93.72434[4]), 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). It was expanded in 1940 when Consolidated Steel was awarded destroyer contracts from the U.S. Navy. They were the Orange Car & Steel Company and Southern Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company before the war. After the war the yard became a U.S. Steel fabrication plant. Steel sold to Signal International and then sold to Westport Orange Shipyard, LLC. 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.[5][6]

Contracts for 12 Fletchers were authorized with the Two-Ocean Navy Act and placed later in 1940[7] Fletchers were produced no more than 6 concurrently. Gearings were produced no more than 10 concurrently. There were 6 slipways that could built one destroyer or destroyer escort and there were 2 side launching ways that could each build 2 destroyers or 3 destroyer escorts. The stern-first launching ways must obviously have been there first, see also launch photographs e.g. [8][9][10]

• 39 of 415 destroyers
  • 12 of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers (built May 1941 - October 1942)
    • USS Aulick (DD-569) ... USS Young (DD-580)
  • 27 of 98 Gearing-class destroyers (built May 1944 - December 1945)
    • USS Corry (DD-817) ... USS Carpenter (DD-825)
    • USS Hawkins (DD-873) ... USS Meredith (DD-890)
• 102 of 563 destroyer escorts and APDs
  • 12 of 148 Buckley-class destroyer escorts (April 1943 - December 1943)
    • USS Tatum (DE-789) ... USS Jack W. Wilke (DE-800)
  • 47 of 85 Edsall-class destroyer escorts (built June 1942 - December 1943)
    • USS Edsall (DE-129) ... USS Peterson (DE-152)
    • USS Harveson (DE-316) ... USS Martin H. Ray (DE-338)
  • 34 of 83 John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts (built October 1943 - August 1944)
    • USS John C. Butler (DE-339) ... USS Williams (DE-372)
  • 6 of 6 Charles Lawrence-class high speed transports
    • that were completed as APDs (instead of converted from finished DEs)
  • 3 of 50 Crosley-class high speed transports
    • that were completed as APDs
• 106 of 923 Landing Craft Infantry[11] (built 1942-1944)
  • Hull numbers 61 - 96, 943 - 1012

Levingston Shipbuilding Company and Weaver Shipyards round up the landscape of WW2 shipbuilding in Orange.

Wilmington shipyard (right) Western Pipe and Steel yard[12] (left), the Los Angeles Shipbuilding Company yard is just out of frame at the bottom left corner

The Consolidated Steel Wilmington shipyard (33.76767°N 118.27254°W / 33.76767; -118.27254) 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. Later that year, the yard delivered its 500th vessel of the war. 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.[13]

Sources disagree on the division of labor between the Wilmington and Long Beach yards.

• 47 C1-B in Wilmington, 18 in Long Beach. 36 C1-M-AV1 in W., 19 in L.B. [14]
• 58 C1-B in Wilmington, 7 in Long Beach, 55 C1-M-AV1 in W.: [15]
• 18 C1-B, 2 P2 in Long Beach after June 1940 (exclusive of 412 ... 415): contract sources given below
• 52 C1-B in Wilmington, 9 in LB (Lloyd's)

Fifteen of the C1-B were built with steam turbines supplied by Joshua Hendy Iron Works ("JH") instead of those built by Westinghouse ("WH"). Hendy also provided the 36 triple expansion steam engines that went into the patrol frigates.

List of contracts:[16][17]

Ships built:[18]

• 126 of 395 C1
  • 52 of 95 C1-B (9 of 61 below were built in the nearby Long Beach yard)
    • Mormachawk (MC-263) ... Mormacgull (MC-266)
    • Mormaclark (MC-486) ... Cape Greig (MC-511)
    • Cape Stephens (MC-698) ... Cape Meredith (MC-701)
    • Hope (MC-1015) ... Cape Chalmers (MC-1028)
    • Cape Domingo (MC-1042) ... Cape Kumukaki (MC-1044)
    • Cape Catoche (MC-1693) ... Cape Saunders (MC-1695)
    • Cape Lilibeo (MC-2073) ... Cape Spear (MC-2079)
  • complete list of the 52 C1-B built in Wilmington
    • Comfort, launched 18 March 1943[19]
    • Mercy, launched 25 March 1943[20]
    • Cape Lilibeo JH[21] launched 27 January 1944[22] in Wilmington[23]
    • Cape Edmond JH[24]
    • Cape San Diego JH[25]
    • Cape Junction WH[26]
    • Cape Possession WH[27]
    • Cape Tryon JH[28][29]
    • Cape Archway JH[30]
    • Cape Catoche WH[31]
    • Cape Kumukaki WH[32]
    • Cape Kildare WH[33]
    • Cape Domingo JH[34]
    • Cape Chalmers WH[35]
    • Cape Alexander WH[36]
    • Cape Isabel WH,[37] launched 29 May 1943[38]
    • Cape Victory WH[39]
    • Cape Constance JH[40]
    • Cape Georgia JH[41]
    • Cape Martin JH[42]
    • Cape Cumberland WH[43]
    • Cape Meredith WH[44]
    • Cape Stephens WH[45]
    • Cape Greig WH,[46] launched 16 April 1943[47]
    • Cape Meares WH,[48] launched 5 April 1943[49]
    • Cape San Juan WH[50]
    • Cape Elizabeth WH[51] launched 3 March 1943[52]
    • Cape Johnson WH[53]
    • Cape Ann WH[54]
    • Cape Mendocino WH[55]
    • Cape Cleare WH[56]
    • Cape Perpetua WH[57]
    • Cape Trinity WH[58]
    • Alcoa Pegasus WH[59]
    • Alcoa Pointer WH[60]
    • Alcoa Puritan WH[61]
    • Alcoa Pilgrim WH[62]
    • Alcoa Partner WH[63]
    • Cape Newenham WH[64]
    • Cape May WH[65]
    • Cape Romain WH[66] launched 27 November 1942[67]
    • Cape Planter WH[68]
    • Solon Turman WH[69]
    • Fred Morris WH[70]
    • Jean Lykes WH[71]
    • Nancy Lykes WH[72]
    • Mormactern WH[73]
    • Mormaclark WH[74]
    • Mormacgull WH[75]
    • Mormacdove WH[76] - launched 1 June 42[77]
    • Mormacwren WH[78] - launched 22 May 42[79]
    • Mormachawk WH[80] - first ship launched at the yard[81]

• • 13 of 13 C1-S-AY1
    • Cape Berkely (MC-1029) ... Cape Washington (MC-1041)
    • all names in the form of "Cape X", all went to britain as "Empire X"
  • 55 of 211 C1-M-AV1
    • Diamond Knot (MC-2314) ... Crown Knot (MC-2331)
    • Sheepshank (MC-2461) ... Hickory Crest (MC-2473)
    • Hickory Glen (MC-2563) ... Coastal Telegrapher (MC-2586)
• 10 of 121 C2-S-B1[82]

• Landing Craft Mechanized 44 LCM in 1942 and 1943. Then 129 LCM in 1945
• 18 of 96 Tacoma-class frigates (S2-S1-AQ1) in 1943

• 32 of 32 Gilliam-class attack transport (S4-SE2-BD1) in 1944 and 1945

Bethlehem San Pedro and California Shipbuilding were located nearby on Terminal Island.

See also: California during World War II#Ship building

Long Beach shipyard in 1944

The former Long Beach Shipbuilding Company yard was the first Consolidated Steel facility to become operational.

On Liberty Fleet Day, September 27, 1941, the yard launched SS Alcoa Polaris, a C1-B type cargo vessel, as one of the fourteen ships launched nationwide on the same day to show the magnitude of the shipbuilding program.[84][85]

• 9 of 95 C1-B[86][87]
  • Agwimonte (MC-75), launched as Cape Mendocino 14 November 1940[88]
  • Agwiprince (MC-76), launched 27 April 1941[89](or 27 March[87])
  • Alcoa Pennant (MC-77), launched 26 June 1941[86][87]
  • Alcoa Polaris (MC-78), laid down 7 April 1941, launched 27 September 1941[87]
  • Cape Orange WH[90] launched 22 October 1943, 12th ship launched at the yard[91]
  • Cape Spear JH[92]
    • Cape John JH[93][94]
  • Cape Lambert JH[95]
  • Cape Saunders JH[96]
  • Cape Friendship JH,[97] launched 29 May 1943[98]
  • Cape Sandy JH[99]

• Two type p1 passenger ships, model P1-S2-L2. The P1-S2-L2 Doyen-class attack transports were two ships. The first American assault military transports. Made with an aft ramp for the launching of small landing craft or for the unloading of tanks.
  • USS Doyen, first in class
  • USS Feland

• several C1-M
  • Diamond Knot, launched 28 september 1944[100]
  • Lanyard Knot launched 18 December 1944[101]
  • Jumper Hitch launched 30 December 1944[101]
  • Square Knot launched 13 January 1945[101]
  • Snug Hitch launched 27 January 1945[102]
• several C1-M probable (WIlmington occupied)
  • Timber Hitch, launched 12 October 1944[103]

Landing craft mechanized were constructed to completion 25 miles from the shore and their motors and integrity of hulls tested on site in a large water tank.[104]

Shortly after the end of the war, in 1945, Consolidated Steel bought the assets of the Western Pipe and Steel Company of California, another wartime shipbuilding firm, for a sum in excess of $6.2 million. The WPS assets along with some other assets of Consolidated were sold in 1948 for over $17 million to the Columbia Steel Company, a division of US Steel, which formed a new division known as the Consolidated Western Steel Corporation to manage them. The former President and Chairman of Consolidated Steel's board, Alden G. Roach, became President of Consolidated Western. Consolidated Western was later merged directly into the parent company, US Steel.

After the sale to Columbia, the remaining assets of Consolidated Steel were folded into a new company known as Consolidated Liquidating Corporation, which was dissolved on February 29, 1952.[105]

The Baker Iron Works had its start at Los Angeles, California, about 1874,[106][107] when Milo Stannard Baker (1828-1894) acquired a small machine shop there. The business, begun on a small scale as M.S. Baker & Company, grew quite rapidly.

A much larger facility was erected in 1886 and in June of that year the business was incorporated as the Baker Iron Works with capital stock of $75,000. Five Directors were named: Milo S. Baker, E.H. Booth, Charles F. Kimball, Fred L. Baker (Milo's son), and H.T. Neuree.

Less than a year later, Baker erected a $15,000 building [equivalent to $300,000 in today's buying power] on Buena Vista Street near College.

Baker Iron Works had a great many different products, manufacturing mining, milling, pumping, hoisting, oil and well drilling machinery, streetcars, boilers, oven and heating furnaces, as well as a line of architectural iron. It seems to have been especially noteworthy for steam boiler fabrication, installation and maintenance.

According to one authority, in 1889 Baker produced the first locomotive built in Los Angeles, designed by Milo's son Fred, vice president of the firm.

Another authority {106} says Baker built horse cars and perhaps street cars for Los Angeles, Pasadena and other communities in the Los Angeles area and that they built some larger cars for the Santa Ana & Orange Motor Road in 1898. According to this authority, after Pacific Electric bought this line, the cars were revamped and continued in service until 1920. It is claimed that in the early 1890s, Street Railway Journal reportedly ranked Baker "among the principal car builders on the Pacific Coast."

In 1887, Baker constructed six street cars for the City & Central Street Railway. {107}

According to an article in the 1 January 1890 issue of the Los Angeles Times, the Baker Works then occupied some 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) and provided employment to 75 men. A large variety of manufacturing was being done. The foundry was making iron and brass castings to fit nearly all kinds of machinery for mining and milling purposes, besides pumping plants for large and small waterworks, and steam plants for all the variety of uses to which steam was put. They manufactured their own boilers. They were also manufacturing oil-boring tools and rigs, and constructing elevators—both passenger and freight—in all varieties: hydraulic steam or hand. It was claimed by the newspaper that Baker had installed nearly all the first class passenger elevators in Southern California. The article said they manufacture street-cars and did other railroad work to order and claimed to make the best gang plows and road and field rollers that could be obtained anywhere. They also installed heating and ventilating plants for public buildings, both steam, hot water and hot air. And they did architectural iron-work. Milo S. Baker was then President, J.E. Sills was Vice-President and Treasurer, and Fred L. Baker (Milo's son) was Secretary and Plant Superintendent.

In 1891, Baker was awarded the contract to build the Santa Ana Water Works. In six months, for a total price of $58,000, Baker put in nine miles (14 km) of street mains, sixty fire hydrants and gates valves, one reservoir 10×78×78 feet (3.0×23.8×23.8 m), build one fire-proof power house, two sixty-horsepower (45 kW) boilers and brick stock, two 10 by 16 by 10+1⁄2 by 10 feet (3.0 m × 4.9 m × 3.2 m × 3.0 m) compound condensing engines of 2,060,000 US gallons (7,800 m³) capacity every 24 hours, All this complete and functioning: truly a "turn-key" operation. {109}

After the turn of the 20th century, Baker seems to have specialized in steel fabrication and elevator building. Fred L.Baker headed the company as president after his father's death.[106] Over the next 30 years they did the steel work and/or elevators for—among many others— Los Angeles' first skyscraper, the twelve-story Union Trust Building, the Public Service Building, the Queen of Angels Hospital, the YWCA Hotel, the United Artists-California Petroleum Building, the University of California at Westwood, The Masonic Temple at Glendale, the Los Angeles-First National Bank at Glendale, the Los Angeles-First National Bank at Hollywood and the University of Redlands at Redlands.

Erection of the Hotel Alexandria from prefabricated materials.[106]

Fred L. Baker acted as president of the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The keels for the first 3 ships hastily laid down in the yard in July 1917 were fabricated in the Baker Iron Works shops.[108]

• California during World War II
• Maritime history of California

• youtube.com, World War II Shipyards: Orange, Texas
• youtube.com, Launch of Cape Mendocino

• Wilmington, California shipbuilding record

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