Adventure had a two-inch waterline belt, a deck ranging from about three-quarters of an inch to two inches, and a three-inch conning tower. The value of this modest protection against quick-firing guns in the short-range engagements envisioned for flotilla work is doubtful. A commander might need the exposed bridge for visibility rather than the confined conning tower, making its armour an awkward weight trade-off. The design illustrates how a little protection can consume displacement without clearly changing a ship's tactical survival prospects.
Notable Point · 14:28-17:39
Protection that made little sense in a close melee
The class's thin belt, deck and conning-tower armour expose the difficulty of protecting a ship intended to fight alongside destroyers at close range.