How Wichita's armor changed an eight-inch fight

Wichita displaced 10,589 long tons at standard load and carried a 6.4-inch Class A armor belt, a 2.25-inch deck, seven-inch barbette protection, and eight-inch turret faces. The newer belt material pushed the estimated eight-inch penetration distance down to about 10,000 yards, compared with 16,400 yards for earlier cruiser armor of the same thickness. Her deck was described as immune to eight-inch fire inside 22,000 yards, giving the ship a useful protected zone. The nine eight-inch guns reached about 30,000 yards and could fire a salvo roughly every 15 seconds. The 5-inch/38 battery could begin hitting a surface opponent before an enemy eight-inch cruiser reached useful belt-penetration range, forcing it to endure both calibers on the approach.