Belt armor is a layer of vehicle armor plated to the outside of the hull of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers and some aircraft carriers.[1]
Typically the belt covered from the deck down some way below the waterline of the ship. If built within the hull, rather than forming the outer hull it could be fitted at an inclined angle to improve the protection.
When struck by a shell or torpedo, the belt armor is designed to prevent penetration, by either being too thick for the warhead to penetrate, or sloped to a degree that would deflect the shell or torpedo. Often, the main belt armor was supplemented with a torpedo bulkhead spaced several meters behind the main belt, designed to maintain the ship's watertight integrity even if the main belt were penetrated.
The air-space between the belt and the hull also adds buoyancy. Several wartime vessels had belt armor that was thinner or shallower than was desirable, to speed production and conserve resources.
Footnotes
- ^ those converted from other warships
External links
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