secondary battery casemates protected by a medium thickness upper belt similar to Bismarck. As in Bismarck the upper belt proved sufficient to detonate the projectiles but not sufficient to exclude them, and a fatal hit that disabled her steering gear allowed Hiei to be sunk by air attack the following day. On the second night, (14–15 November 1942) the USS South Dakota was hit at close range by 27 common, HE, and AP shells of various calibers, most of which passed through her unarmored superstructure without detonating and caused relatively little damage. Both projectiles that struck South Dakotas armor shattered, including a 14 in (36 cm) armor-piercing round from the Japanese battleship , which struck the heavily armored barbette of main battery turret III. No projectiles penetrated South Dakota's armor and the ship's hull strength, buoyancy, stability, steering and propulsion were not materially affected. Though South Dakota was in no danger of sinking, she was put out of action by the damage the smaller-caliber fire wreaked upon her radars and electronic systems, which rendered her ineffective for night combat. The Battle of Surigao Strait was the last battleship-versus-battleship encounter. Once the Japanese forces (after first being decimated by US destroyer torpedoes) reached the main US line, the deciding factor was the much greater numbers of the American force, plus their superior radar, so the armor schemes of US battleships were not tested. See also Pre-dreadnought protection G3 battlecruiser Notes References An illustrated guide to battleships and battlecruisers, John Jordan, 1985, Salamander Books. External links "All or Nothing" Protection article at The Naval Technical Board. A Survey of the American "Standard Type" Battleship a comparison of American standard type battleships against those of other nations, at The Naval Technical Board. BB59 armor site. Analysis of Damage: USS South Dakota at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Introduction and Summary article at www,NavWeaps.com Battleships Naval armour