So the Ersatz-Yorck becomes from now on the Yorck-class BCs. SMS Yorck inherited her name from the armoured cruiser of 1903 that was lost to a fatal mine hit in 1914.
The Yorck class BC were the last class of german battlecruisers. Armed with 8x15" guns she was the counterpart of the british Admiral-class. Her keel was layed down in mid 1918, she was comissioned in 1922. The armistice gave the need for new and bigger freighters a much higher priority, so she was delayed one year. Her sisters Karl der Große and Roon were built on different yards at Kiel an Danzig and were also launched in 1922.
Yorck was refitted several times and saw action at France and until the invasion of the british isles. After the war she transported german soldiers all over the world and brought back british ones. In 1950 shoe was decommissioned and scrapped in 1951. Karl der Große fought at the spanish civil war on nationalist side and was officially given to Spain in 1939. Roon was torpedoed 40 miles north of her harbor only by the british submarine HMS Searcher in November 1946 after action against Iceland. She made it half the way back to Wilhelmshaven until she had to be evacuated. Today the wreck is visited often by divers, she lies 25m deep only.
small error: at this time she is SMS Feldmarschall Graf Yorck, of course.
