Armour made Gorgon a protected coastal reconnaissance post

Gorgon carried a mixed anti-aircraft battery as well as substantial armour for a ship of her size. The belt varied from about 3.3 to 7 inches, turret faces and barbettes reached 8 inches, and the conning tower also carried 8-inch protection. Deck armour ranged from roughly 1 to 3.5 inches. That protection supported an operational task beyond bombardment: Royal Navy admirals could take the ship close to the Belgian coast to see conditions for themselves. Army reports and what naval observers could see did not always agree, so a protected platform reduced the risk of gathering first-hand information under coastal-battery threat. The design's slow speed mattered less when armour allowed commanders to remain near the contested shoreline long enough to understand it.