Hütte im Sand

Vor 110 Jahren baute Frankreich sein erstes nasses Hüttenwerk an die Küste Flanderns.
Die Geschichte der Usine de Dunes ist heute weitgehend vergessen, obwohl es am Standort in Leffrinckoucke alles gab was ein integriertes Hüttenwerk ausmacht: Kokerei, Hochofen, Stahlwerke und Walzwerke.
1911 durch die aus dem Industrierevier von Saint-Étienne stammende Aciéries et forges de Firminy erbaut sollte das Werk in den Dünen Kokskohlen aus den nahe gelegenen Revieren Nordfrankreichs und Belgiens mit importiertem Hämatiteisenerz aus Schweden kombinieren.
Ein eigenes Hafenbecken am Canal de Furnes verband die Hütte mit dem Hafen von Dünkirchen.

LD-Stahlwerk

Hochofen und Kokerei wurden während der Weltwirtschaftskrise Anfang der 1930er Jahre stillgelegt (die Kokerei erst 1977 abgerissen). Das SM-Stahlwerk, die Walzstrassen, Schmieden und die Radsatzfertigung blieben erhalten.
1969 beschloss der neue Inhaber (Creusot-Loire) das Werk durch den Bau eines LD-Stahlwerks an die neu gebaute Hütte von Usinor im 16 Kilometer entfernten Dünkirchen anzubinden, ein Liefervertrag für Roheisen an das SM-Stahlwerk bestand bereits. Nach nur 11 Monaten Bauzeit wurde der neue 60 t Konverter am 11. März 1971 erstmals abgestochen.
Die Hütte in Leffrinckoucke betrieb nun drei 100 t SM-Öfen ( 270.000 t/j), einen Elektrolichtbogenofen ( 80.000 t/j) und den neuen LD-Tiegel mit einer Jahreskapazität von 350.000 t.
Auf der Walzwerksseite waren eine Blockstrasse und zwei Stabwalzwerke in Betrieb.
Auch die Radsatzfertigung mit einer 6000 t Räderpresse war noch vorhanden. Die Versorgung mit Roheisen aus Dünkirchen erfolgte durch  jeweils zwei 100/150 t Roheisenpfannen. Mehr als 3100 Beschäftigte arbeiteten nun am Standort.

UHP-Lichtbogenofen

Am 26. März 1978 ersetzte ein neuer 80 t Lectromelt UHP Lichtbogenofen die alten SM-Öfen. Wann das LD-Stahlwerk stillgelegt wurde ist mir leider nicht bekannt, vermutlich aber bei der Übernahme durch Usinor-Sacilor.
Seit den 1980er Jahren kam es dann zu zahlreichen Besitzerwechseln (Ascometall, Lucchini, Severstal, Swiss Steel).
Im Herbst 2017 wurde das Elektrostahlwerk und im April 2020 das letzte Walzwerk in Leffrinckoucke stillgelegt. Auch die verbliebene Wärmebehandlung mit 69 Beschäftigten soll verlagert werden.

Real Heavy Plate

up to 900mm thick and 80 tons heavy is still produced at the old Marrel Frères site in Chateauneuf, France.

The steel mill  was founded in 1867 by the Marrel brothers.
Main product were flat irons and armoured plates.
In 1932 a unique combined heavy plate rolling and forging mill was installed that is still in use today.
In 1974 Marrel Frères became part of the Creusot Loire group and eight years later the production of long rolled products was transfered to St. Etienne and after the bancruptcy of Creusot Loire the mill became part of USINOR.
In the following years the company changed it’s name frequently (Creusot Loire Industrie, CLI Fafer, Usinor Industeel). Today the site is part of Industeel producing the largest heavy plate in Europe.

L’Usine De Thionville


Though much of Lorraine’s steel industry has vanished the old Carlshütte in Thionville is still around. At least parts of it. Like the electric arc furnace in the old open hearth shop now owned by Akers from Sweden.
Further viewing at stahlseite.

The mill in Thionville (German: Diedenhofen) on the banks of the river Moselle was founded by Carl Röchling from Völklingen, Germany and named “Carlshütte” in 1898. Lorraine was part of Germany from 1871 to 1918. Two blast furnaces were built and two more plus a Bessemer steel mill were added in 1906.
After the first world war the mill became French and was now called “Société Lorraine Minière et Métallurgique”.
A coking plant came into operation in 1928.
The “Aciéries de Longwy” took over the plant in 1933.
A forge, an open hearth melt shop and a foundry were added.
1953 saw a new owner: “Société Lorraine – Escaut“.
In 1964 blast furnace number 1 was replaced by a new furnace the largest in Lorraine capable of producing 2000 tons of pig iron a day. Furnaces No. 2,3 and 4 were closed down in between 1966 and 1970 and were all dismantled by 1972.
USINOR a large steel company from northern France took over the Thionville mill in 1966.
A new UHP 70 ton electric arc furnace replaced the old open hearth furnaces in 1973.

Plans to built a OBM oxygen steel making shop on ground were halted in the 1970ies and in 1977 the blast furnace, the Bessemer shop and all rolling mills were closed down for good.
In 1980 a new continuous caster was installed to supply feedstock for USINOR’s
wire rolling mill in Longwy.
In 1983 the steel foundry was closed down.
In 1985 the mill was split up into USINOR Acierie de Thionville and USINOR Forge de Thionville.
USINOR and SACILOR, the two largest steel groups in France were fusioned in 1986, now government owned.
The steel mill became part of Unimetal (the long product subsidiary of USINOR) while the forge became part of the USINOR/Cockerill owned rolling mill manufacturer Forcast.
The continuous caster was closed in 1994 and the steel mill was now taken over by Forcast.
Forcast was sold to the Swedish roller manufacturer Akers in 2001.
Akers still runs the 70 ton electric arc furnace, ingot casting and the 4000 ton forging press to produce ingots and forged rolls mostly for the steel industry.

Longwy

Longwy

In the 1960ies the small town of Longwy, France (pop. 60000) still housed more than 20 blast furnaces. A unique density.
The mills were running on local iron ores of a rather poor quality that became uneconomical in the 1970ies with high quality iron ore shipped into Europe from overseas.
35 years ago, after the announcment of La Chiers’ closure, Longwy’s steel workers started their long and exceptional violent struggle to keep their jobs.
Since the closure of Arcelor’s wire rolling mill in 1998 there is no more steel industry in town.
Jean-Marie Ottelé site: www.industrie.lu is a unique source of information about the Terre Rouge (Red Earth) steel industry.

Longwy Map

1: Cockerill-Ougrée-Providence
Founded: 1865.
Closed: 1987
2: Lorraine-Escaut

Founded 1835

Closed 1987
3: Hauts Fourneaux De La Chiers

Founded:  1881

Closed: 1979
4:
Aciéries de Longwy
Founded: 1880

Closed:  1978
5: Hauts-Fourneaux Réunis de Saulnes et
Uckange
Founded: 1872

Closed: 1991

Hauts Fourneaux De La Chiers

Hauts Fourneaux De La Chiers, 1950ies