Which statement is the strongest rebuttal to the counterclaim?

Counterclaim: Countries had been trading globally for centuries before the chronometer, and they would have continued to do so without it.

A) However, MacGregor states that sailors had long established their location at sea by “measuring the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon.”
B) Even though countries were already trading globally, the chronometer allowed for accurate maps so that traders could reach their destinations more efficiently.
C) Even so, it was the Industrial Revolution, not the chronometer, that allowed for the mass production of steel goods, such as ship ladders.
D) However, if not for the chronometer’s simple design for use on ships, the Beagle would not have been able to map the coastline of South Africa.