stepped down similarly, to and then 15 cm at the stern (tapering to 15 cm and at the lower edge, respectively). The main armor deck was thick over the citadel, sloping down to meet the lower edge of the belt to provide an additional layer of protection against shell fragments; the sloped section of the deck was increased to . The forward deck was increased to 10 cm, while the stern received 6 to 10 cm of armor, increasing to 12 cm over the steering compartment. At upper deck level, a layer of steel covered the central portion of the ship between the end barbettes. Another layer of 3 cm armor covered the forecastle deck over the secondary battery. Behind the belt, a torpedo bulkhead ran the length of the hull, several meters behind the main belt; the bulkhead was designed to contain flooding that might result from torpedo or mine damage. It met the main armor deck where it began to slope down; above the deck, a 3 cm bulkhead extended upward as additional anti-splinter protection. The compartments created on either side of the torpedo bulkhead were used to store coal for the boilers, which reinforced the structure and helped to absorb blast effects; pumps were located amidships to drain these compartments in the event of flooding. The main battery turrets received of armor on their faces, on the sides, and on the rears to balance them. The turret roofs were sloped at the front, where they were , decreasing to on the flat portion. Their supporting barbettes were also 30 cm thick on their exposed sides, though they were reduced to on the sections where one barbette blocked direct fire on another. Behind the upper belt, the barbettes were reduced to , and behind the main belt, it was thinned further to 8 cm to save weight. Above the upper belt and between the superfiring turret barbettes was an armored battery for the secondary gun casemates. The sides received of armor plate on the outer sides; the interior of each casemate had on the floor and sides and on the rear to contain any fragments from shells that penetrated the battery and exploded inside. The forward conning tower was protected with heavy armor. According to Gröner and Aidan Dodson, the sides were thick and the roof was 15 cm thick, though John Campbell states it received 35.6 cm