British Steel

British Steel plc was a major British steel producer. It originated from the nationalised British Steel Corporation (BSC), formed in 1967 which was privatised to a public limited company, British Steel plc in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The company merged with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus Group in 1999.

History

Blair (1997) explores the history of the British Steel since the Second World War to evaluate the impact of government intervention in a market economy. Entrepreneurship was lacking in the 1940s; the government could not persuade the industry to upgrade its plants. For generations the industry had followed a piecemeal growth pattern that proved inefficient in the face of world competition. The Labour Party came to power in 1945 committed to socialism. In 1946 it put the first steel development plan into practice with the aim of increasing capacity. It passed the Iron and Steel Act 1949 which meant nationalisation of the industry as the government bought out the shareholders, and created the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain. American Marshall Plan aid in 1948–50 reinforced modernisation efforts and provided funding for them. However the nationalisation was reversed by the Conservative government after 1952.

British Steel (yacht)

British Steel is a 59 ft (18 m) ketch famous for a circumnavigation of the globe "the wrong way" (i.e. from east to west, against prevailing winds and currents) by Sir Chay Blyth in 1970/71.

The entire race was completed in 292 days. Described by The Times as "The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone", under the headline "Boat of Steel - Man of Iron", the feat inspired two generations of ocean voyagers and adventurers, forming the basis of the 1992 British Steel Challenge and the subsequent BT Global Challenges.

British Steel is currently moored in Dartmouth, Devon and undergoing restoration.

History

British Steel was designed by Devon-based naval architect Robert Clark, and built in 1970 by George Phillip and Son, at Noss, on the River Dart. Launched on August 19 of that year, after a record build time of four months, British Steel was described by Don Holme in his book, "The Circumnavigators", as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction at the time, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull.

British Steel (album)

British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980.

Overview

British Steel saw the band reprise the commercial sound they had established on Killing Machine. This time, they abandoned some of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their previous releases, but some of it still remains. British Steel was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, home of former Beatle Ringo Starr, a recording studio located on Tittenhurst's grounds, after a false start at Startling Studios in December 1979. Digital sampling was not yet widely available at the time of recording, so the band used analog recording of smashing milk bottles to be included in "Breaking the Law", as well as various sounds in "Metal Gods" produced by billiard cues and trays of cutlery. It was released in the UK at a discount price of £3.99, with the advertisements in the music press bearing the legend "British Steal". Songs "Breaking the Law", "United", and "Living After Midnight" were released as singles.