Das letzte Schlachtkreuzer.

Prologue.

Alarms were screeching everywhere. Crewmen were rushing,either to help their wounded Kameraden,or to save themselves... In this chaos, I was left alone... None bothered to check on me... It was for the better.

I stood up,wiping away the blood coming from my head... I was injured... My ship,was injured, we couldn't fight anymore... With the last of my powers,I told my remaining crew over the megaphone

"- All Personnel... Abandon ship... save yourselves,live onwards for my sake,make your children proud... Kapitan Schultz... No. Old Fritz will be watching you from above... Auf Wiedersehen,mein children... ."

... We are ahead of ourselves. Let us go back,before the downfall of the SMS,before the last breath of the Ersatz Yorck... Before the death of Schultz.

Friedrich Wilhelm Schultz was an old man, he was reaching mid 50's by the start of the First World War. Up to that point,Schultz,or "Old Fritz" as his friends called him,was one of the longest serving admirals of the Kaiserliche Marine,having been one of the first to write up a draft to join the Marine. He saw men come and go, his friends were old sailors and captains of the Kaiserliche Marine.
By the start of the First World War, Wilhelm II had his trust in Schultz; He believed that with him by his side,he could win any naval engagement. It was this trust in him,that reserved a special... "Gift",for Old Fritz. But Again,we're getting ahead of ourselves.

BOOM!
A shot from the cruiser SMS Yorck roared across the sea,striking a decoy target.

"- Good shot Jules,always on mark." I claimed.
"- You have trained him well,sir!" Exclaimed one of the sailors on the command bridge.
"- I trained all of you well, Ludwig... You and your kameraden are my pride and joy. This ship,would be nothing without you all."

The crew inside the command bridge let out a loud "Ja!",which made their kameraden on the decks,and those manning the guns let out a similar "Ja!".

This,was but a normal day on the SMS Yorck. An armored cruiser of the Roon Class. Old Fritz had been promoted to command this new armored cruiser. After advancing through destroyer ranks,and eventually light cruisers and armed cruisers, He landed on the SMS Yorck,a top-of-the-line ship at the time of its commissioning.

Old Fritz and his crew had plenty of experience with armored cruisers,they turned the SMS Yorck into a metal beast to be feared,one that could take on several other cruisers... At the same time,the Yorck,was like a family. Old Fritz and his crew have been together since their first sail. He saw his men get married,he watched their kids grow,talked with their parents,and so on. Old Fritz was known by everyone that came across him. Some loved him, some captains envied him and his crew in how united they were and how they could turn any ship into something to fear.

A well cultured man,with plenty of skill, a mustache and beard to rival that of Otto von Bismarck itself, Friedrich Wilhelm Schultz is the captain of the SMS Yorck...

Or,shall it be another way...?