Bethlehem Steel Corporation

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation (1857-2003), based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, once was the second largest steel producer in the United States (after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based US Steel). But following its 2001 bankruptcy, the company was dissolved and the remaining assets sold to International Steel Group in 2003. During its life, Bethlehem Steel also was one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world.

The steel for American armed forces

During World War I and World War II, Bethlehem Steel was a major supplier of armor plate and ordnance products to the U.S. armed forces. Many of the nation's fighting ships used armor plate and large caliber guns supplied by Bethlehem steel.

Related Topics:
World War I - World War II

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During World War II, Bethlehem's 15 shipyards produced a total of 1,121 ships, more than any other builder during the war, employing as many as 180,000 persons in the process (company total employment was 300,000). When peacetime came, the plant continued to supply a wide variety of structural shapes for the construction trades and forged products for defense, power generation and steel-producing companies.

Related Topics:
World War II - Shipyard - Ship

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Bethlehem Steel's high point came in the 1950s, as the company began manufacturing some 23 million tons per year, and it built its largest plant, at Burns Harbor, Indiana, between 1962 and 1964.

Related Topics:
1950s - Burns Harbor, Indiana - 1962 - 1964

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