How were long belt and deck armour sections repaired or replaced during war?
Short answerNavies held spare plates, cut out damaged sections, and fitted one or more replacement plates depending on the size of the hole.
NotesNavies kept sections of armour plate in storage for wartime repairs. When the damaged area was smaller than one replacement plate, dockyard workers could cut an opening of the required size and fit that plate. A hole spanning a larger area would require several plates rather than an improvised single patch. Repairability depended on pre-positioned heavy material and dockyard capacity as well as on the armour scheme carried by the ship.