SMS Yorck

SMS Yorck was an armored cruiser of the German Imperial Navy (Kaiserliche Marine), one of the two Roon-class cruisers. Named after Generalfeldmarschall Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg, a Prussian general during the Napoleonic Wars, she was laid down in 1903 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, launched in May 1904, and commissioned in December 1905.

Yorck was armed with a main battery of four 21 cm (8.3 in) guns and had a designed speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). She served with the German fleet, primarily as a reconnaissance vessel, during the years leading up to World War I.

At the outbreak of World War I, Yorck was assigned to the III Scouting Group of the High Seas Fleet. She participated in several operations in the North Sea, including the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in December 1914.

On 4 November 1914, while steaming in heavy fog, Yorck ran aground on a minefield off Jade Bay. Several mines detonated, causing severe damage and resulting in her sinking. The wreck lay in shallow water, with much of the ship still visible above the surface for some time. Casualties were significant, with hundreds of sailors lost.