A battlecruiser's armor belt may be as thick as a battleship's while protecting a smaller proportion of the hull. Classification follows the design's intended role, hull structure, machinery density, and distribution of protection. Gun caliber or gun count alone cannot settle the question. The comparison is useful when a proposed rearmament seems to change a ship's type without changing the design around the weapons.
Notable Point · 1:52:03-1:52:39
Armament alone does not define a battlecruiser
A warship remains a battlecruiser because of hull structure, purpose, machinery density, and armor coverage rather than the caliber or number of its guns.