Armour protection versus Dreadnought

Lord Nelson carried four 12-inch guns, ten 9.2-inch guns, 24 12-pounders, and five 18-inch torpedo tubes. Dreadnought had ten 12-inch guns and 27 12-pounders, no 9.2-inch battery, and the same number of torpedo tubes. Lord Nelson's main belt reached 12 inches amidships rather than Dreadnought's 11 inches, while her deck reached 4 inches and was generally at least 1.5 inches, apart from a possible 1-inch central area. Their turrets and conning towers remained broadly comparable because both classes used the same 12-inch gun and turret technology. Speed and offensive concentration favoured Dreadnought, while protection and mixed-calibre volume of fire reflected Lord Nelson's different battle assumptions.