McLouth Steel Company Gibraltar

Gibraltar cold mill assets:

Pickle Line

Pickle liquor
Hydrochloric Acid, 10,000-gallon capacity.
175°F, 10-12% HCL, 12-15% FeCL

Tower

Vertical two pass line. First of its kind in North America. 90 tons per hour maximum capacity. Built by Dravo and Mesta in 1963.

Tandem Mill

Mill Stands
60″ 4-high, 4-stand continuous.
Maximum 3300 feet per minute. Average speed at 2100 FPM.
Rolls
Back-up roll 53 x 60″
Work roll 22 x 60″
Width range was 26″ to 52″ wide.
Reduction Capability
1 stand-30%, 2 stand-25%, 3 stand-20%, 4 stand-10%

Annealing

60″ Lee Wilson Bases
122 (60 in 1954; 15 in 1955; 47 in 1961)
48 Furnaces of the radiant tube type.
Charge size was 60″ x 162″ high.
80″ Swindell Bases
90 (36 in 1968; 27 in 1971; 27 in 1974)
38 Furnaces of the direct fire type.
Charge size was 80″ x 162″ high.
Both furnaces used natural gas fuel.

Skin Mill

Two 2-high skin pass mills.
Built by Continental in 1954. 1500 Horsepower motors. Maximum speed of 3200 FPM, average of 2800.
Roll sizes
32″ x 60″

Finishing Departments

Customer Service Line
Built by Wean in 1967. Line speed is 150′ to 1000 feet per minute.
60-inch maximum width, 20 inch minimum.
Flying Shear Line
Two lines installed by Mesta in 1954. 800 FPM line speed.
Cut lengths are 48 inches to 144 inches.
Coil Slitting Line
Two lines built by Seco in 1954. 400 FPM line speed.

Steelmaking equipment, massive and complex, requires the skills of many people such as millwrights, pipefitters, carpenters, welders, and various craftsmen who perform necessary maintenance and repair work. Others behind the steelmaking scenes who contribute greatly to steel production are those employed in the Operations, Production and Supervising Departments.

Boilerhouse/Powerhouse:

There is a high level of asbestos exposure to asbestos covered steam pipes, block insulation and boiler jackets.

Boilerhouse/Powerhouse Job Descriptions:

Boiler operator: Inspects and operates boilers.
Water Tender: Works under the direction of boiler operator, monitors the high-pressure steam equipment.
Boiler Cleaner: Assists in cleaning inside and outside of steam boilers and auxiliary equipment.
Laborers: Helped in clean-up work after tradesmen.
Mechanical Repairmen: Responsible for multi trade work including turbine repair, pipefitting, and mechanic work.
Pipefitters: maintains steamlines and worked with turbine repairmen on big jobs.

Box Anneal Furnaces:

Reheat the coils before rolling. The annealing process tempers the steel to meet the specifications of the purchaser. These were located at McLouth’s Gibraltar Plant.

Job Classifications:

Annealer – operates annealing furnaces.
Crane Hooker – hooks crane to top of furnaces.
Crane Operator – operates crane to lift furnace covers.
Pipefitter – maintains pipes.
Bricklayer – rebuilds furnaces.
Laborer – clean up work.

Other occupations exposed to asbestos:

Maintenance Foreman and Supervisors:  They schedule and supervise the maintenance and repair of the buildings and equipment.

First Line Supervisors/Managers Production and Operating Workers: They directly supervise and coordinate production and operations employees (Precision Workers, Inspectors, Machine Setters and Operators, Assemblers, Fabricators, and Plant and System Operators.

Maintenance: Construction and Millwrights, Bricklayers, Electricians, Insulators, Machinists, Oilers, Painters, Pipefitters, Welders and other trades. They construct, maintain and repair the buildings and equipment throughout the plant.

Heavy/Mobile Equipment Repair: Industrial Mechanics maintained and repaired Kress Carriers, payloaders, fork trucks, dump trucks, tow motors, hoists and other equipment

Material Handling: Hi-Lo Operators, Crane Operators, Equipment Operators, Laborers, Sludge Operators and Tractor Operators. They handle and move the raw materials, steel and equipment for the mill.

Transportation: Railroad Laborers, Switchman and Engineers operated the locomotives for transporting molten steel, Ingot molds, and other materials.

Receiving and Shipping: They receive and ship materials for the various plants and departments.

Exposures to the asbestos products at the mill can cause Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, Asbestosis and other cancers 10 – 40 years later. Even if you smoked you may be entitled to compensation if you are suffering an asbestos related disease.

In addition to the Gibraltar Plant, there were numerous departments and occupations that experienced significant asbestos exposure, at McLouth’s Trenton and Detroit Plants.

Why does it matter that McLouth Steel Detroit, Gibraltar or Trenton, Michigan is in our jobsites database?

In order to successfully pursue an asbestos claim, your lawyer needs to be familiar with the jobsites you worked at, including

• the companies that employed you,
• the products they purchased and used, and
• the companies who produced those products,
• depositions, testimony of other McLouth Steel Detroit Trenton or Gibraltar asbestos disease victims
• documentation from the Plant and Defendants

Asbestos Exposure Injuries