Consolidated Western Steel Corp, Shipbuilding Division
Orange, Texas has long been known associated with the U.S. Navy. As part of a massive 1940 shipbuilding program, the navy required the creation of many new shipyards. Choosing Orange, TX as a site, the navy endeavored to enlarge a smaller facility into an industrial-level naval shipyard and incorporate nearby Consolidated Steel into their operations. Under contract with Consolidated, the navy would finance the construction of a shipbuilding facility near the steel plant, with Consolidated designated as its operator. Consolidated Western Steel Corp, Shipbuilding Division was added as a subsidiary to the original company. Construction was completed on the first phase of the shipyard in 1941 and ship construction commenced immediately.
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor took a tremendous toll on the fleet of the U.S. Navy, and thus required a hurry-up approach to vessel construction. Shipbuilding capacity at the Orange facility was immediately expanded and so too did the workforce, which neared 20,000 people at the height of operations in early 1944. In 1942 the yard produced it's first ship, a destroyer USS Aulick. In all the operation at Orange was alone responsible for the construction of 39 Destroyers, 93 Destroyer escorts, and 106 landing craft, before shipbuilding operations shut down in 1946. As it became clear the war was drawing to a close, Orange was selected by the navy as a major fleet deactivation center, requiring the construction of several piers on the Sabine River, North of the original yards. At the new facility's peak of operation about 250 dormant vessels lined the piers along the Sabine, 40 of which were reactivated during the Korean conflict. During the 1950's, much of the original shipbuilding operation was sold to the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel Corp.
Among the many who answered the call to industry during the wartime production boom, were the men and women who serviced the shipyards at Orange. The country needed their skills and production on the front lines of industry and they found a way to be part of the solution following the heinous bombing of Pearl Harbor. This was an important development in the war as it showed our enemies the resolve of the American spirit and that the brave men and women of our country would not bend to the winds of oppression.
The American industrial complex was a dangerous field to be employed in during war time production, as so much emphasis was upon output that often workers risked their lives to ensure the quota was met. Sometimes these workers faced dangerous situations particularly in shipyards. Heavy machinery and other aspects of industrial environments put workers in the line of fire for potential harm. One of the dangers commonly misunderstood is the exposure to certain toxins or carcinogens in an industrial setting. If it is possible that you were exposed to a potentially harmful substance, it is important that you talk about such possible exposures with a doctor.
