Chester Rolling Mill
The Chester Rolling Mill was a large iron (later steel) rolling mill established by shipbuilder John Roach in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States in 1873. The main purpose of the Mill was to provide metal hull plates, beams and other parts for the ships built at Roach's Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, also located at Chester.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Founder | John Roach |
| Defunct | n/a |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Iron and steel ship hull and boiler plates, ship beams, pig iron |
| Total equity | $600,000 (1880) |
| Owner | John Roach (to 1885) |
| Parent | John Roach & Sons |
Amongst the mill's notable achievements, it manufactured the steel plates for the first steel-hulled steamship built in the United States, Alaskan, and for the U.S. Navy's first four steel ships, the so-called "ABCD ships". Production of the latter vessels drove Roach's shipbuilding empire into receivership after the government unexpectedly repudiated the contracts, and Roach was forced to sell the Chester Rolling Mill and most of his other companies to satisfy creditors. The Chester Rolling Mill later became part of the Wellman Steel Company.