The unsinkable lady of the North Sea.

Chapter 5

5 August 1914
Wilhelmshaven, Naval base, Battlecruiser row

The fated day has come, war has been declared and the world shivers as nationalists march their way to the nearest recruitment center. Ready to die for their country - unconsciously walking into a meat grinder that the world has never seen before - as the way power involved mobilized their armies for war.

It will be a few days before the first battle will begin, with the first casualties being recorded after the aftermath, in this war that will bring a change that will shake the world.​

The German Navy knew in advance that war was coming and arranged accordingly a few weeks before the declaration. The ship's spirits themselves were prepared to face their enemy, but while all of them were somewhat ready to kill them one stood out. Graf Spee's thoughts were a conflicted mess, thinking as to what she was going to do, why is she sad that was is happening, and why she is a little hesitant to want to earn glory for the fatherland like her sister and family.

While the ground war was forecasted to proceed smoothly - like the battle of the frontier which resulted in a German victory or how many expect a repeat of the war in 1871, where it ended by Christmas - Graf Spee doubts that it would be the same case on the naval side of things.

A battle was on the horizon and she was going to be in a squadron with the cruiser SMS Manze, as its flagship nonetheless, worthy for a battlecruiser of the Kaiser's navy. Her sisters celebrated this promotion when they heard the news, and Dellifinger's newest sister - despite being desperate for some action - was extremely happy for her.

She didn't know where it would happen - she would have to check later - but what she did know was that she would have to sink the Albion battlecruisers if she wanted to protect her sisters. It was with these thoughts that she went to sleep that night and she dreamed of a dockyard, the Barrow dockyard her mind helpfully suggested, and there she saw a young woman in Japanese style priestess uniform approach her.

Despite never having seen the woman before as she approaches her, she feels like she is familiar somehow and for some unknown reason, she suddenly starts to walk toward her without realizing it until they are face to face. Silence permeates the area until suddenly the Japanese woman raises a hand as if inviting her to grab it, Graf Spee pauses for a moment lost in thoughts until she proceeds to grab the offering hand, only for the woman to start to vanish in numerous glitters of light the moment they touch each other..

Startled Graf Spee takes a step back glancing around, her mind trying to understand what was happening, and only at that moment does she take notice of the ship she's on, a battlecruiser with Eastern features. Where on the deck of said ship was the same Japanese woman that vanished in tin air not a moment ago together with another woman, European in appearance and speaking to between them.

"Good morning Ļ̥̦̖̱̦ͅo͚͖̹͖̼u̟͕͍͕̹̼̭i̴̸̘̼̠̱͉͕̭̖͞s҉̰̞̹͚-senpai how are you doing today?" asked cheerfully the b̬̮͍͎̜̰̼͚̲a̤̰̺͍̰̗̘͡t͏̶͉̹̫̘͓̥͓͠t̶̟͕̭̠͙̩͕ͅļ̖͇̱̞̥̲͇͢è̵̡͙̫͇͎̘͎̪c̩̫̩̜̖͝ͅr̩̱͡u̘͖̕͜i̡̭͉͚̜̗̥̠̻͡s̷̙͢e̗̹͡r̥͈̤͇̬͕̲͇͔͠ ͍̼̲͎̝̠ͅ

"Ah... good morning K̷̰o̩̬̟̙͍̕n̸͓͟͜g̸̦̰̞̲̤̼͈͘o̷̦̠̙̞̖̤ͅu̴̦̖̬̫̰̦̝ͅ, I'm hanging in there. I hope you are doing fine after the Ń͕͎̞̬̼̞͢i̶̬̬̻̭̩̮͘ṕ̣ canceled you" said P̀҉̞̬̬̝̤̱̲r̷̡̙̦̘͖͇̬̙i͔͙̮̭̫̩n͚̭̺͈̟̬͉͟c̴̸͓͎̟e̖̮̳͖̜s̸̞̘̥̥͖̺s̡͎͔̣͚̲͙̬̫͞ ͏̩̭̳͈̞̠͍́R̸͕͖̜͖̪̲ó͉̕y̴̧̮͕̬̜͝ͅa̠̭͇̮̘ĺ̲̺͢ with a sad tone in her voice

But try as she might listen to what they were saying she couldn't so she tried to approach them, only to suddenly woke up as if something was trying to prevent her from getting too close.

As she stirs in one of the bed compartments inside her she clears her mind and with a decision she hadn't before goes out to socialize with the rest of her squadron - as its flagship she had to be an example for the others to look up to.

"Frau Graf Spee, are you feeling okay? you look like you had a bad sleep" ask a cruiser before she was bombarded by many other questions from the escort.

"I'm fine Mainz just had a bad dream that's all" said Graf Spee.

"If you say so Frau-flagship"

In the next few days following her entry to the squadron, she committed to bond with all of the members, with SMS Mainz being the more amiable as they both had similar personalities.

She just hopes that Mainz comes out of the battle unscathed.

28 August 1914
At around 07:00
Graf Spee was shocked to hear that the Brits were attacking them and if she wasn't then she surely had to be when she was sent out to intercept them. There she found 5 British battlecruisers with escorts, but as her captain was starting to shout the order to fire the British launched their salvos first, with water sprouts starting happening all around them as 10 to 14 inch shell started falling out into the sea - fortunately missing her, though as they mainly serve to calculate the following ones the next would be more dangerous.

Startled but not deterred her Capitan resumed to shout his order and when her cannons roared as they fired back the winds seemed to have their backs as shells scored hits on the enemy battle line, with shouts of exultation coming from the crew that resounded throughout her.

POV Princess Royal

She felt sadness when Kongou was declared canceled but was then replaced by anger when she heard that Kongou has been bought by the jerry and that she might have to fight her someday if the Germans didn't scrap her, shamelessly hoping that they would if only to prevent the pain of having to fight a friend in a gunnery duel, but then reality came crashing down when a radio message arrived, stating that 'a German battlecruiser that looks like is the Graf Spee has been spotted'

A tear rolled down her face when she remembers that most British ships have not been as affected as her when Kongou was brought by the Germans, for her it was hell, but anger came back. The Germans have dared to desecrate her little sister, producing copies of her, and as the order was given all of the ships that composed the battle line spouted fire. Sending their projectiles roaring through the morning sky.

Misses, all of them had unfortunately missed their target and corrections were being made to assure that the next ones wouldn't but a few moments later a thunder sound came from the German ship as they fired their own salvos back. Tension filled the moment when the shells came crashing down on the sea and the terror filled the radio a moment later as one particular of the Graf Spee's shells hit the HMS Lion - penetrating the armor and hitting her magazine.

Princess Royal could see the shocked-terror-filled expression Lion made, her mouth opening to scream before she was engulfed in fire and smoke. An explosion erupted from one of Lion's gun batteries as she ripped apart as steel not able to contain the sudden change of pressure was sent flying - becoming dangerous shrapnel.

The British watched with anguish the unfolding events as destroyers pulled sharp maneuvers to try and rescue the downed ship crew. There was nothing that could they could have done as the HMS Lion sunk within seconds, generating strong water currents that pushed down and below the water the few men who managed to jump overboard.

Lost with all hands, will what the future reconds of this fateful day will state the the first blood of a bloody naval conflict of ww1.

Credit WatmesM for the correction
Thank you.