Aerial Views Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point Baltimore Maryland

The images in this video include: The 300-foot-tall "L" blast furnace costing more than $200 million to build. And the nearby Sinter Plant.
In the Shipyard: Panel Shop , Graving Dock, and Piers.
The Sparrows Point Industrial Complex is located on approximately 3100 acres of a peninsula on the north side of the Patapsco River approximately nine (9) miles southeast of downtown Baltimore. There was a time when Sparrows Point was the largest steel-producing plant in the world, but in 2001 Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt. The mill and industrial complex have been in decline ever since. The images in this short video help document the destruction of a once proud industry.

[@jackthompson5125]

I now work in the revitalized Sparrows Point and seeing these videos and reading articles about Beth steel put me in awe. To work in an office where these once great mills and men worked is something that really gets me thinking and brings me happiness to see the world continuing on but also sadness to all the lost memories from the steel workers moving on.

[@severnreves]

Interesting to see the place that my grandfather worked in. He said on his deathbed that he believed the shipyard and working with the asbestos is what gave him the cancer that took his life.

[@salisburyveronica]

My Grandfather worked there for 32 years from 1947 until around 1979 mainly in the Cold Mill area.It was long hard work he but had fond memories of his many years working on the Point. He died in the early 80s and Iam glad he doesnt have to see the sad end to Sparrows Point. Awesome aerial footage and great choice0 f music for ypur video too.

[@wyldchild346]

My neighbors Great Uncle a logger who cleared the Trees off of this land for the Building of the Steel mill. Now the new Company is clearing the mess of the Baltimore bridge and sending to this Site. What a inside Project to work on Whew

[@jimm8246]

I used to sit across the Patapsco river fishing at Ft Armstead watching the steel plant in the evenings in the summer. The bright orange glow used to light up the sky above the plant as the steel was produced. The furnaces had a blue flame dancing in the sky above them which were mesmerizing to watch.

[@dealtdeal1353]

awesome footage you got greg. I passed by on 695SB the other day and saw the new massive tilt up warehouses amazon and whoever else have put up, and still saw some of the old steel plant near the water. I took the route again today to take another look at what I saw. Still not satisfied with the results I came on here to find some footage of what was there. Thank you very much, very cool to see this stuff.

[@GregCoxTV]

I'm glad you liked it. My drone crashed in the opening footage because it was so windy the motors burned up. The second day I got kicked off the property. Made me so pissed that I rented a boat which you can see at 2:50 or so. I was expecting the drone police at that point. 😁And from there, we took the boat to film Fort Carol seen in the background.

[@dealtdeal1353]

@@GregCoxTV haha that is amazing. You quite literally rented a boat to persevere and get the footage. I love the dedication. I’m glad you were able to get past those obstacles, well worth it in my opinion.

[@pamc1738]

My uncle Nunnie left South Carolina to work at this place, and later came Uncle Robert, and then my father Daniel. Those Eady men always came home dirty but happy to have work. Today I still receive checks from Peter Nicoles for the class action lawsuit due to all of them and thousands being exposed to dangerous toxins in the air. God bless those who have passed away with cancer. God also bless those in the Twin Towers, and those on the ground trying to save lives due to 911. Many who have cancers, are because of the steel from this plant, Just think those cancerious molicures have been festering for decades in the walls of the twin Towers. Then on 911, God only knew the devastation of those who tried to help others would soon parrish due to the tons of toxic cancerious dust and smoke. God bless America!

[@Mukundanghri]

Imagine what it looked like when the first settlers came here? Beautiful forest, crystal clear water?!

[@SuperBuzzbomb]

I'm sure where your home is built was once beautiful forest at one time.

[@1940limited]

That doesn't pay the bills.

[@rickrickerson6744]

I used to drive by here all the time when I lived in Baltimore. I know Beth Steel provided employment for countless thousands over its many decades of operation, including my great grand father, but this place always looked like a miserable hell-scape to me.

[@1940limited]

Sad to see what's happened to American industry and all the good jobs that it provided.

[@GregCoxTV]

I agree with you. There are multiple reasons for the demise of Bethlehem Steel ... management greed or incompetence, government policy, etc. If I am not mistaken . . . many of the Liberty ships that help win WWII were constructed here. There are only two remaining Liberty ships and one is docked here in Baltimore.

[@charlescottrilljr9234]

g bridgman it is sad how are government has allowed big corporations who are blinded by greed to bend are country over and fuck it over like it did

[@gojobuddy]

Greg Cox My father-in-law was a foreman at Bethlehem Steele retired from there probably in the early 70's if not sooner. I know he received a pension from there. Bought and owned his home outright and raised his family. He came to Baltimore from Calabria, Italy when he was 6 years old.

[@americanwelder9865]

My great grandfather, and grandfather both retired from there. Sad to see so many families history and livelihood gone. I at least work in the same union they both did. I also get to pass on the trade my great grandfather passed onto me.

[@GregCoxTV]

Thank you for the comment. I also have relatives who worked there. If you have access to any photos of the Plant I would like to see them. I am thinking about re-doing this video and adding some historical narration and some photos.

[@1940limited]

Back then you could work for one company your entire life, make good money, and retire. that's almost impossible to find today.

[@tariknazmy2209]

I visited hot strip mill in 1995 it had neat thickness gauge and crop shear

[@theien5929]

I worked at a chrome chemicals plant in the 1980s that was located across the Harbor . It was shut down also

[@jimmythundarrsdrumcoverser492]

I grew up on Millers Island....Everyone in my family worked here except me pretty much....

[@ertugrulkasaci8318]

I have dismantled Bethlehem Steel pipe mill in 1985 after the great depression and the collapse of the steel industry .. The dismantled and refabricated ERW pipe mill producing ERW pipes up to 16" now operates in Turkey Akcakoca .

[@alan30189]

There was no depression in the 80s. A recession, but not a depression.

[@1940limited]

Seems Turkey can make it, but we can't.

[@ertugrulkasaci8318]

@@alan30189... Well Just excuse my financial terminology information... 😊...

[@dwayneharrison5468]

I used to live here. It was filthy, but had beautiful well built homes. Couldn't walk barefoot without my feet looking rusty.

[@GregCoxTV]

Did you ever work at the Plant? Or maybe you someone who did? I am thinking about adding some narrative to the video to make it more like a documentary. I would be interested in hearing the stories of people who worked there.

[@ComeOnNow100]

I've been hauling scrap outta there since 2012

[@larrycheesejr387]

I do believe that if the plant stayed under Mitral it would still be running. At least the finishing side if not the whole plant..

[@richardsoniv]

What is your average altitude? 100-150ft? And I noted in your Ft McHenry and USNA videos you had a 5-8 knot wind aloft. What is your drone system's wind limits?

[@GregCoxTV]

In the Sparrows Point video the footage was shot on two different days. For most subjects the altitude was in the range you suggested, about 125 feet. The opening sequence was shot on October 18th, 2014 and wind gusts were over 30 mph that day. I would not attempt that again. The UAV could handle it as far as remaining reasonably steady, but one of the engines over heated and brought down the drone. I thought it landed in the water. It took me well over an hour to find it. So I had to come back another day. As for the other videos you mentioned, I would say you are correct at 5-8 knot wind aloft which is very tolerable for this Phantom 2 Vision+ UAV. To be on the safe side I would not attempt any aerial video project with winds forecast over 15 mph.

[@richardsoniv]

Greg Cox Many Thanks for. I noted all your MD video; since I live across from the USNA and regularly fly my SeaRey amphibious LSA into the Inner Harbor at between 500-800 ft. A fellow MD SeaRey Pilot recently got a UAV and we had thought of doing shots of our formation splash & go's. We had noted that almost all the posted aerial video were early dawn shot during calm winds and had wondered as to their wind limits. A subject matter suggestion - Seeing that you are former military, you may want to shoot aerial video of civil war battlefields from the perspective of a "Balloon Observer" (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army_Balloon_Corps). I think this new form of aerial photography provides the means to articulate that form of military reconnaissance.

[@GregCoxTV]

robert richardson Funny that you should mention the civil war battlefields as I was planning to do just that - but with one exception. What I'm thinking about is shooting a civil war battle reenactment but I would want two other drone pilots to participate. It's just too much action to cover for one person, and will likely require some special permission. But that is on my list for 2015. In any case, thank you for the suggestion and I will look into that. I tend to be a little picky about the video projects in that I look for some historical or architectural value. And yes, I am former U.S. Air Force and was actually born at the Annapolis Naval Academy. So I was careful to create a respectful video.

[@concretechrissantoro5299]

Who walked away with the billions of dollars in all of the scrap metals

[@kelvintorrence5994]

It was r.g steel when it when our Bethlehem when out inn the 70 s or 80s r.g steel had a plant next to me on Warren Ohio which in the old days wss called wci steel .

[@concretechrissantoro5299]

Not seen in this is the aprox 3 miles of raised hwy that they demolished about 5-10 years ago this plant employed most of eastern Baltimore City and county this is what my president Trump means when he says make America great again all of the jobs here have been lost to China and other foreign countries this country used to take care of its own WTF AMERICA STAND UNITED LIKE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TAUGHT US AS KIDS AND TAKE OUR ECONOMY AND COUNTRY BACK!!!!!!

[@lylecosmopolite]

I see a lot of promising steel scrap littering the landscape. I bet that at least 60% of steel produced nowadays is recycled scrap, which is a lot cheaper to make than virgin steel. Bethlehem Steel and its successors were out competed by Nucor. Tp my knowledge, not a single Nucor plant is unionised.

[@1940limited]

Whatever happened to "too big to fail?" How do we let something like this happen?

[@brosefmcman8264]

Over burdensome Union's, nepotistic corporate management and Bill Clinton signing NAFTA killed Bethlehem Steel and many others. Surprised it lasted as long as it did!

[@timc333]

It was Ronald Reagan who started NAFTA , his administration were the ones who got it up and running , his administration is the one who started putting tariffs on our quality steel so places like China could compete even though still to this day China makes a very low quality steel and everyone knows that , Sure slick willy signed the bill that came in front of him , but by that time the damage had already been done , thank Ronny the snake , but after all he did get a real nice library some where out west where I will never visit , so he really made this place much better for his family , but not ours . Also yes the greed is what killed it all , the unions actually got more money from the closings than they ever would have from the workers dues , I worked at a place called Allentown Metal Works in 2008 , the place was closing , president Obama visited , promised to keep the place open , then the place promptly closed , we had a vote at union hall we voted to try to keep the plant open , but the big shots decided they would rather make their deals behind closed doors , they got rich , we got fired . All of the same was happening at Bethlehem steel , and well sparrows point was just way too much a part of Bethlehem steel , of course they went down too .

[@jarredri]

I worked @ buckeye steel in Columbus ohio for years and cheap Chinese steel and the epa is what killed my plant lots of good paying jobs gone forever.

[@timc333]

@@jarredri Ohh yes you are so right , the EPA had a grate deal to do in killing the Bethlehem steel too , it was politically motivated attacks from out own government against what was one one of our strongest industries , we are seeing all the same being used against coal today , all masquerading under the guise of climate change , they have been using the very same attack against us for decades , and we still don't learn . look at these big shots who stand tall professing climate change and preaching their homilies of how we all are so wrenched and killing our home , they all will have some big company behind them , some chemical co , or some company overseas , they get paid to help them not us , we put them in power they help China , you do the math .

[@timothyflynn9479]

Let's not forget that this are has been run by the Democratic Machine for half a century now. Let that sink in.

[@edmondholmesjr3105]

That's interesting. Fifty years of Democratic control. No Republicans in office at all during 50 year. Ok, I was laid off from Bethlehem Steel in 1982 . Permanently.Pop quiz. Which party was in control that year. BTW, it was a LARGE LAYOFF. You let that sink in.

[@paulvoit5610]

​@@edmondholmesjr3105Democrats, with William Donald Schaefer as Mayor of Baltimore and Harry Hughes as Governor of Maryland.

[@huckfin1100]

The music is very fitting ! so this is the place responsible for causing cancer for many Dundalk residents correct ? Not to mention ruining the water quality fish habitat...

[@SuperRip7]

This is Obama's America.

[@MaskinJunior]

+SuperRip7 In socialist Sweden the steel mills are competitive. But that is mostly because the Unions work with the companies and not against them. Sweden is known for making the best quality steel on the global market.

[@MaskinJunior]

All Talk No Action Politician Bern baby Bern, Bernie Sanders will bring back the jobs. Just ask Vermont republicans.

[@WAVETUBE84]

+SuperRip7 More like what happened because of Bush. YOU IDIOT!

[@SuperRip7]

Ah, touché.

[@WAVETUBE84]

All Talk No Action Politician Yeah, right. Like the jobs that Trump sent to China and Guatemala for "Trump" shirt line at Macy's. Yeah, up to $130 for a "Trump" shirt. Gee, you can't sew a shirt in USA. by union workers for $130? More like Trump likes the profit that he pockets off of the slaves that manufacture the shirts and the idiots who purchase them.

[@treywaz]

Us Bethlehem Steel families know all too well that a part of this company will always live on dormant inside us. Most likely in the lungs somewhere.😅

[@Edgemerian]

Greg, what kind of drone do you have?

[@GregCoxTV]

The video footage was created with a Phantom 2 Vision-plus quadcopter.

[@lylecosmopolite]

This graph tells the story of the decline of American steel ouput. fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IPN3311A2RNQ First note that from the peak around the first oil shock, to the trough of the 1982 recession, production fell by a factor of 3x. The virgin steel industry never recovered from this shock, which resulted in the closure of many legacy mills built before the Depression. Given the declining consumption of steel, there was no point in building new mills. From the bottom of the recession of 2000-02 to just before the GFC, steel output rose from 80 to 125, followed by a 50% decline during the Great Recession. But 2010-14, output was back to what it was 1988-2007. But from 2012 to the present there has been a curious decline even though the American economy has been doing fairly well.

[@timishere1925]

alnot01 I'm sorry but what is meant by GFC?

[@timishere1925]

alnot01 Gotcha, thank you.

[@lylecosmopolite]

GFC = Global Financial Crisis.

[@rbeez2004]

I bet the Chinese government officials see this and other fallen factory videos on you tube and sit back and laugh their tucking heads off. Laughing cause they and other countries are destroying us from with in. Taking everything that built this country away to built their own and watch us slowly become a nation of burger kings, mc Donalds and taco bells. And our government say it's ok. Trump!

[@ralphaverill2001]

rbeez2004; The Koreans would be the ones laughing since that is where most of the steel we use comes from. And btw, the Chinese, or the Koreans, didn't "take" anything from us; US manufacturing was brought to them on a silver platter by business leaders in this country who saw no profit in investing in new plants and equipment here. It's all about the evolution in the technology of communications, manufacturing, and transportation. Trump couldn't do a damn thing about it. No matter who gets elected, the jobs ain't coming back.

[@rbeez2004]

+Ralph Averill you my friend are terribly wrong. we are the buying power of the world still and so is our money. if you level the playing field make it worth investing it will work. people do like buying made in the USA buddy. and by the way it is the Chinese pal. i used to work in scrap yard.

[@ralphaverill2001]

Leveling the playing field means working for Korean or Chinese wages, and living with their air/water pollution. You ready for that?

[@rbeez2004]

+Ralph Averill I know exactly what has to happen. and you know to. there is only 2 ways to get jobs back. both are bad in their own way. one is a shorter fall than the other. both mean rough roads ahead but we have been there before. one is raise taxes on imports so that it costs just as much to import as it does to pay a fair wage here. this is a shorter fall than the other and I believe will be a quicker recovery. or devalue our currency. this is alot long of a fall. but while we can it will crush the failed socialization of the whole world with both. of course I have more to it. free trade is a failed social program and if we don't stop it we will be the smallest kid on the block. we always want to be the biggest kid on the block.

[@rbeez2004]

+NanKaiMan well I certainly hope your right but that it's in our favor.

[@ChizAfterHours]

If it wasn't for ArcelorMittal that Mill would be running.

[@nepalihercules]

ChizAfterHours unions killed the steel

[@asmodeus1971]

@@nepalihercules the lack of investment by Beth Steal when things were going good to keep things modern killed this mill. The same story for most US mills, the companies didn't invest profits to modernize.

[@edbigtruck]

Combination of bad management and horrible union contracts. Destroyed the once great company.

[@ChizAfterHours]

@@asmodeus1971 you would probably be surprised to see just how much Bethlehem invested in their mills. They did quite a bit, just not into the right things. One of my senior theses dove into their plant investments.

[@maurice9293]

They moved to China

[@awillis244]

Sad. My father work there where I grew up in west Baltimore.

[@mikeweibe5035]

michael weibe first welding job

[@JacEKnust]

Very interesting. I have a "friend" who has a quad copter. HMMMMM!!!!

[@StereoSpace]

OK, so finish the job. Clean the site of debris, grade it, and replant it.

[@cooldog60]

Just like that huh? It would cost 100rds of millions. Are you going to pay for it? I think you just want to talk about it.

[@timc333]

I wonder if in 150 years we will be making museums to and out of all the warehouses that litter every industrial complex anymore , we used to make stuff here , no we just store stuff here , used to feed thousands here , now one person can run all the automation from home on a laptop computer , he gets paid very well though . Hey How's that greed thing going for you , what you got no food , you can live on rice , they do in China don't you know .

[@shannonkay5314]

The place is a contaminated mess...

[@dwayneday2895]

Coal rights of reserve stack sorrow right twenty percent track rights one third levy right as operational funds to open ship coal out track rights are 138 million dallors with twenty percent of coal reserve one million ton a stack 8, million 9,876,543.2 that 147+ million budget operational funds eight million rail steel bid CISR international Conrail quality top dallor on rail steel a 1 million a mile to lay rail steel order of eight mile sparrow talsa Waltham linden Beaverbrook etc RR an a bid for Dallas an Huston Texas figure of steel price

[@CheyenneJanasMusic]

:'(

[@jakeritmiller]

Sad!