I fantasize a lot about how it would have been to serve on a battleship (or armored cruiser, or whatever else) prior to WWI. The sense of adventure, and the level of national pride and patriotism must have been simply unimaginable to the modern person, living in fake and gay excuses for modern nations. The experience of traveling the world inside a product of industrial might that no one could have even fucking imagined in their wildest dreams 40 years before, knowing that you and your boys could absolutely WASTE anything you came across, and also living daily with the knowledge that you and your ship definitely are the single most iconic and memorable representative of your entire nation abroad, must make that one of the best lives a man could live. Don't even give a shit that you would have to scrub the teak decks every day or whatever bullshit menial task might be asked of you, doesn't even matter.