 The ship 's armour scheme was based on that of the King George V class with a thinner waterline belt and additional splinter protection . Originally the belt armour was equal to that of the older ships , but it had to be reduced to offset weight increases when the design was modified to reflect wartime experience . The waterline 460 @-@ foot ( 140 @.@ 2 m ) main belt was composed of Krupp cemented armour ( KCA ) 13 inches ( 330 mm ) thick , but increased to 14 inches ( 356 mm ) abreast the magazines . It was 24 feet ( 7 @.@ 3 m ) high and tapered to a thickness of 4 @.@ 5 inches ( 114 mm ) at the bottom edge of the belt . Fore and aft of the 12 @-@ inch ( 305 mm ) transverse bulkheads that closed off the central citadel , the belt continued almost to the ends of the ship . Forward it tapered to a thickness of 2 inches ( 51 mm ) and a height of 8 feet ( 2 @.@ 4 m ) and aft to the same thickness , but a height of 11 feet ( 3 @.@ 4 m ) . At the aft end of the steering gear compartment was a 4 @-@ inch ( 100 mm ) transverse bulkhead . After the Battle of the Denmark Strait in 1941 , 1 @.@ 5 @-@ inch ( 38 mm ) non @-@ cemented armour bulkheads were added on the sides of the magazines , to protect them from splinters from any hits from plunging shells , that might have penetrated the ship 's side beneath her belt . 
