A hypothetical river gunboat with battleship-grade bow armour could approach a shore battery while presenting its strongest protection. The idea arises from wondering why the Austro-Hungarians did not try such a design. Once the boat passes the position, its more lightly protected sides become exposed. The concept therefore depends on suppressing the shore guns before that happens.
Notable Point · 1:26:26-1:27:09
The temptation and limit of an armoured river-gunboat bow
A bow built to face shore batteries looks attractive on a confined river, but it cannot protect the vessel once its sides are exposed.