Belt armor

Belt armor

Belt armor is a layer of armor-plating outside the hull of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers and some aircraft carriers. [those converted from other warships]

Typically the belt covered from the deck down someway 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. Oftentimes, 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

External links

* [http://www.chuckhawks.com/armor_schemes.htm WW2 Armour schemes]

See also

*Torpedo belt
*Protected cruiser
*Armored cruiser


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • belt — beltless, adj. /belt/, n. 1. a band of flexible material, as leather or cord, for encircling the waist. 2. any encircling or transverse band, strip, or stripe. 3. an elongated region having distinctive properties or characteristics: a belt of… …   Universalium

  • Armor —    During the WARS OF THE ROSES, English MEN AT ARMS, and especially members of the PEERAGE and GENTRY, entered battle encased in a defensive body covering of metal plate armor, which was designed to deflect blows from heavy weapons in close… …   Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses

  • Belt (clothing) — A common, black leather belt A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing. History Belts have been documented for male clothing… …   Wikipedia

  • Belt Alliance fighter — Infobox Fictional Spacecraft name = Zephyr class caption = Zephyr Belt Alliance Fighter first = Midnight on the Firing Line last = affiliation = Raiders launched = fighters = auxcraft = armaments = 2 Light plasma bolters Missile hardpoints… …   Wikipedia

  • The Skeleton in Armor — is the name given to a curious archaeological artifact unearthed in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1832, and subsequently destroyed in a fire in 1843.Discovery and descriptionA contemporary account of the skeleton s discovery and general appearance …   Wikipedia

  • Iron Man's armor — refers to the powered metal suit worn by Tony Stark when he assumes his superhero role of Iron Man. The first version of the armor was created by Stark with the help of Ho Yinsen. Unlike most other superheroes, the appearance of Stark s armor has …   Wikipedia

  • Chain belt — Chain Chain (ch[=a]n), n. [F. cha[^i]ne, fr. L. catena. Cf. {Catenate}.] 1. A series of links or rings, usually of metal, connected, or fitted into one another, used for various purposes, as of support, of restraint, of ornament, of the exertion… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dreadnought — For other uses, see Dreadnought (disambiguation). The oldest remaining dreadnought, USS Texas, was launched in 1912 and is now a museum ship. The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th century battleship. The first of the kind, the… …   Wikipedia

  • North Carolina-class battleship — North Carolina steaming on 3 June 1946. By this time, many of the light anti aircraft weapons (Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm) mounted during the war had been removed, while more modern radars had been mounted on her forefunnel and mainmast …   Wikipedia

  • Gangut class battleship — For other uses, see Gangut (disambiguation). Gangut during World War I Class overview Builders: Admiralty Shipyard Baltic Shipyard …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”