Q&A ยท 1:37:03-1:39:25

How Richelieu's armor scheme worked

Richelieu used an all-or-nothing armored citadel with internal deck protection rather than a classic turtleback scheme.

Question

How high was Richelieu's belt above the full-load waterline, and was its armor layout between turtleback and all-or-nothing?

Short answer

Its scheme is identified as all-or-nothing, with internal armored decks supporting survivability and buoyancy, but no belt-height figure is supplied.

Notes

Richelieu's protection is identified as an all-or-nothing scheme around an armored box. The main armored deck is described as 6.7 inches thick, and an armored deck extending a long way along the hull helps explain why the layout can be mistaken for a turtleback arrangement. That deck lies inside the ship, below several compartments. Its extent and the use of multiple armored decks are connected here with stability, survivability and preserving buoyancy. The separate question about the belt's height above the full-load waterline does not receive a numerical answer.