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Pressed Steel Tank Company During World War Two
West Allis, WI
1902-2006
This page added 7-2-2024.
In 1902, The Pressed Steel Tank
Company of West Allis, WI was founded by Mr. R.H. Hackney for the
manufacture of cylinders, drums, barrels, kegs, and shells. The
trade name for the company's products was "Hackney Products."
After World War Two company made scuba air tanks, aircraft oxygen bottles, and
compressed natural gas tanks. In 2004, the City of West Allis
purchased Pressed Steel Tank Company's factory for $500,000 to make way
for a $60 million retail and housing development. In 2006, the
Pressed Steel Tank Company was purchased by a group of investors lead by
the company's CEO and renamed PST Cylinders. This was all part of
a bankruptcy proceeding to reorganize the company and pay creditors.
The new company moved to a new location in southeastern Wisconsin.
At the time of the company's purchase the Pressed Steel Tank Company
only had 20 employees, which was down from 100 a year earlier.
Pressed Steel Tank Company's World War Two
Products: Table 1 shows that
the company had $12,323,000 in major contracts during World War Two.
Included in the contracts were depth charge cases, ordnance material,
bombs, torpedo parts, and gas cylinders. Not included in the
contracts were the 8,000 compressed air tanks the company produced for
the neighboring West Allis LeRoi Company's compressor trucks.
During World War Two the company employed over 700 workers.
Table 1 - Pressed Steel Tank
Company's Major World War Two Contracts
The information below
comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply
Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945." This was
published by the Civilian Production Administration,
Industrial Statistics Division, Requirements and Progress
Branch January 21, 1946. |
|
Product-Customer |
Contract Amount |
Contract Awarded
|
Completion
Date |
| Depth Charge
Cases - Navy |
$220,000 |
11-1940 |
9-1942 |
| Cases Steel -
Navy |
$195,000 |
7-1941 |
9-1942 |
| Ammunition -
Navy |
$112,000 |
8-1941 |
2-1942 |
| Ammunition -
Navy |
$350,000 |
8-1941 |
10-1943 |
| Ordnance
Material - Navy |
$1,222,000 |
10-1941 |
6-1943 |
| Bombs - Army
Ordnance |
$2,166,000 |
12-1941 |
8-1942 |
| Bombs - Army
Ordnance |
$351,000 |
4-1942 |
3-1943 |
| Bombs - Army
Ordnance |
$328,000 |
5-1942 |
3-1944 |
| Bombs GP 250
lbs ANM57 - Army Ordnance |
$827,000 |
6-1942 |
3-1944 |
| Torpedo Parts
- Navy |
$145,000 |
9-1942 |
12-1942 |
| Torpedo Parts
- Navy |
$576,000 |
10-1942 |
5-1943 |
| Cylinders Gas
- Navy |
$215,000 |
12-1942 |
12-1943 |
| Bombs - Army
Ordnance |
$2,166,000 |
1-1943 |
8-1943 |
| Bronze Head
Shells - Navy |
$148,000 |
5-1943 |
12-1943 |
| Cylinder
Shells - Navy |
$69,000 |
5-1943 |
10-1943 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$71,000 |
6-1943 |
10-1943 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$68,000 |
6-1943 |
1-1944 |
| Cylinder
Shells - Navy |
$62,000 |
7-1943 |
12-1943 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$112,000 |
10-1943 |
5-1944 |
| Torpedo Shell
Blanks - Navy |
$399,000 |
2-1944 |
11-1945 |
| Gas Cylinder
Shells - Navy |
$81,000 |
4-1944 |
12-1944 |
| Acetylene Gas
- Navy |
$62,000 |
4-1944 |
8-1944 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Army Corps of Engineers |
$119,000 |
4-1944 |
12-1944 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$169,000 |
6-1944 |
3-1945 |
| Torpedo Parts
- Navy |
$62,000 |
8-1944 |
2-1945 |
| Torpedo Parts
- Navy |
$234,000 |
8-1944 |
3-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Army Corps of Engineers |
$119,000 |
10-1944 |
6-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$168,000 |
11-1944 |
8-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Army Corps of Engineers |
$74,000 |
11-1944 |
9-1945 |
| Gas Cylinder
Shells - Navy |
$466,000 |
12-1944 |
6-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Army Corps of Engineers |
$88,000 |
1-1945 |
7-1945 |
| Cylinder
Shells - Navy |
$326,000 |
3-1945 |
10-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Army Corps of Engineers |
$233,000 |
5-1945 |
8-1945 |
| Gas Cylinders
- Navy |
$80,000 |
6-1945 |
8-1945 |
|
Total |
$12,323,000 |
|
|
|
Table 2 - Pressed Steel Tank Company's
Major World War Two Contracts by Customer |
|
Customer |
Contract Value |
Percentage |
|
Army Ordnance |
$5,838,000 |
48.5% |
| Navy |
$5,612,000 |
46.4% |
| Army Corps of
Engineers |
$633,000 |
5.2% |
| Total |
$12,083,000 |
~100 |
|
Table 3 - Pressed Steel Tank Company's
Gas Cylinder Contracts |
| Customer |
Contract Value |
| Navy |
1,949,000 |
| Army Corps of
Engineers |
$633,000 |
| Total |
$2,582,000 |
Making the outer shells for the Mark
XIII aerial torpedo was a natural fit for the company's
capabilities. Once the shells were formed, they were sent to
the International Harvester and Amertorp Corporations' plants in
Chicago which assembled the torpedoes. Author's photo.
The Mark XIII was
13 foot, 5 inches long and 22 inches in diameter. It
weighed 2216 lbs and carried
600 lbs of explosive. It had a range of 6300 yards at 33.5 knots.
Author's photo.
Another good fit for the company was the
manufacture of the steel cases for the Mark 6 Depth Charge.
LeRoi Air Compressor Trucks:
The LeRoi air compressor
truck is one of the well-known modifications of the GMC CCKW 2-1/2
ton 6x6 truck. The compressed air tanks located at the rear of
the truck were all manufactured by the Pressed Steel Tank Company.
LeRoi's use of the Pressed Steel Tank Company was a logical choice
as the two companies were only 0.3 of a mile apart from each other
in West Allis, WI.
This LeRoi compressed air truck is on
display at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, WY.
Author's photo.
Located at the rear of the vehicle is the
Pressed Steel Company's air tank. Author's photo.
This tank is dated 1943. Author's
photo.
Another excellent example of the LeRoi air
compressor truck is this on display at the World War II American
Experience Museum in Gettysburg, PA. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
Author's photo.
This tank was built in 1944. Author's
photo.
The World War II American Experience
Museum has a second LeRoi truck in its collection which is an operating
vehicle. This is kept in the Museum's motor pool. Author's
photo.
Author's photo.
Author's photo.
This tank was manufactured in 1943.
Author's photo.
The World War II American Experience
Museum has a third LeRoi truck awaiting restoration. Author's
photo.
Author's photo.
This is a 1943 dated surge tank.
Author's photo.
The Pressed Steel Tank Company West
Allis, WI Factory: The
factory was located at 1445 South 66th Street in West Allis, WI.
The factory was built in 1902 and demolition of the factory complex took
place in 2007. Currently, there is no sign that the plant was ever
present at this location.
This Sanborn Map shows the size of the
factory complex as it was in 1927.
When the plant was purchased by the City of West Allis in 2004, the
plant was 266,000 square feet in size.
The Pressed Steel plant complex was east of
the railroad tracks.
This 1937 aerial photo shows the factory
complex at that time.
This Google Maps satellite view shows the
current apartment complex that now occupies the site. Note that
the railroad tracks are still there.
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