SMS "Yorck" ("His Majesty's Ship Yorck") was the second and final member of the of armored cruisers built for the German "Kaiserliche Marine" (Imperial Navy) as part of a major naval expansion program aimed at strengthening the fleet. "Yorck" was named for Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg, a Prussian field marshal. She was laid down in 1903 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, launched in May 1904, and commissioned in November 1905. The ship was armed with a main battery of four guns and had a top speed was . Like many of the late armored cruisers, "Yorck" was quickly rendered obsolescent by the advent of the battlecruiser; as a result, her career was limited.