National Metal and Steel

National Metal and Steel Corporation was an American metal-recycling and ship-dismantling company associated with Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor area of Los Angeles, California. Its facility occupied the former property of the California Shipbuilding Corporation and became a destination for decommissioned United States Navy vessels and other large industrial assets. The company’s work extended beyond ships: it also dismantled substantial quantities of railway and public-transit equipment, including many Pacific Electric Railway red cars and Los Angeles Railway yellow cars removed from service during the restructuring of public transportation in the greater Los Angeles area. Heavy Southern Pacific locomotives, including Class AC-9 articulated coal-fired engines, were also scrapped at the site. These activities placed the company within the broader American ship-breaking, vehicle-recycling, and industrial salvage sectors rather than conventional primary steelmaking. In 1953, National Metal and Steel became the first United States company identified in the available reference material as exporting scrap metal to postwar Japan, linking its local dismantling operations with the international trade in ferrous scrap during Japan’s industrial reconstruction. The company was led by president Harry Faversham, although the available material does not establish the dates of his tenure or provide broader information about the organization’s ownership, revenue, workforce, or corporate structure. Its Terminal Island operations ended on January 1, 1986, when the company lost use of the facility because of a harbor expansion project. National Metal and Steel reportedly maintained headquarters in nearby Carson after the closure of the Terminal Island site. The sources do not clearly establish whether the company continued operating under the same name, was dissolved, or was absorbed into another business, so its current corporate status remains uncertain.

National Metal and Steel Corporation operated as a major industrial salvage and metal-recycling business at Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor region. Its facility stood on the former site of the California Shipbuilding Corporation, connecting the company to a harbor landscape shaped by wartime ship construction, naval logistics, and later vessel disposal. The company handled the dismantling of decommissioned United States Navy ships and served as the final destination for many vessels removed from naval service. Through this activity, it recovered and processed large amounts of ferrous metal for recycling and resale. The company’s operations also covered transportation equipment. It dismantled numerous Pacific Electric Railway red cars and Los Angeles Railway yellow cars when those transit systems were being eliminated or reorganized across the greater Los Angeles area. National Metal and Steel additionally scrapped heavy Southern Pacific Class AC-9 articulated coal-fired locomotives. These locomotives had been used mainly in New Mexico and Texas because of operational and clearance limitations, and they were rarely deployed elsewhere on the Southern Pacific system. Their dismantling illustrates the range of unusually large and specialized assets handled at the Terminal Island site. In 1953, National Metal and Steel became the first United States company described in the available reference material as exporting scrap metal to postwar Japan. This export activity reflected the international importance of recovered metal during Japan’s postwar industrial rebuilding and showed that the company’s business extended beyond local salvage contracts. The company’s president was Harry Faversham, but the available sources do not provide a fuller chronology of management, ownership, incorporation, or financial performance. Terminal Island operations ended on January 1, 1986, when the company lost access to the facility because of a harbor expansion project. National Metal and Steel maintained headquarters in nearby Carson after the closure of the Terminal Island site. The available reference material does not establish whether the corporation subsequently continued operations elsewhere, changed its name, was acquired, or ceased to exist. Accordingly, the company’s later corporate status is recorded as unknown.

1. 1986Terminal Island operations ceased

   Operations at the Terminal Island facility ended on January 1 because the site was taken for a harbor expansion project.

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2. 1953First reported U.S. scrap-metal export to postwar Japan

   National Metal and Steel became the first United States company identified in the reference material as exporting scrap metal to Japan after the Second World War.

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A large-scale industrial salvage and metal-recycling operator specializing in the dismantling of ships, railway equipment, locomotives, and other heavy assets.

• Recycled ferrous scrapRecycled metals

  Recovered ferrous metal generated by dismantling ships, railway cars, locomotives, and other heavy industrial equipment. Scrap was processed for reuse in metalmaking and was also traded internationally, including an export shipment to postwar Japan documented for 1953.

• Ship dismantlingIndustrial salvage

  The company’s principal documented activity was the dismantling of decommissioned vessels at its Terminal Island facility. Many former United States Navy ships ended their service lives at the site, where usable metal and other materials could be recovered.

• Railway and transit vehicle dismantlingVehicle recycling

  National Metal and Steel dismantled retired Pacific Electric red cars, Los Angeles Railway yellow cars, and heavy Southern Pacific locomotives. This work supported the recovery of metal from obsolete public-transit and railway equipment during major changes in regional transportation systems.

• 1986Relocation from the Terminal Island facilityStrategy

  A harbor expansion project displaced the company from its long-standing Terminal Island operating site.

  What changed. Terminal Island operations were ended on January 1, 1986, and the company maintained headquarters in nearby Carson.

  Aftermath. The available sources do not clarify the extent of any subsequent operating activity or whether the corporation later changed ownership or ceased trading.

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• 1986Terminal Island operations ended because of harbor expansion

  The company ceased operations at its Terminal Island facility on January 1, 1986, after losing the site to a harbor expansion project, while reportedly retaining headquarters in Carson.

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• 1953National Metal and Steel exported scrap metal to postwar Japan

  National Metal and Steel was identified as the first United States company to export scrap metal to Japan after the Second World War.

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1. National Metal and Steel