The Bessemer class of ore freighters on the Great Lakes were a recognizable and powerful breed of vessel. There would have been far fewer of them had it not been for a clever ploy pulled by robber-baron John D. Rockefeller on six of the biggest builders of ships on the Great Lakes. They took the bait and Rockefeller got the last laugh.
Built in 1896, Bessemer Class vessels were still working the lakes as late as 1967.
