Editing Bellerophon-class battleship (section)

===Armament and armour===
[[File:Bellerophon SP 781.jpg|thumb|''Bellerophon'' firing her main armament]]
In the interest of saving time, the ''Bellerophon''s retained the same main battery and turret layout as ''Dreadnought'':<ref>Friedman 2015, p. 97</ref> ten [[List of British ordnance terms#BL|breech-loading]] (BL) [[BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun|{{convert|12|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} Mk X guns]] in five twin-[[gun turret]]s, three along the centreline and the remaining pair as [[wing turret]]s. The centreline turrets were designated 'A', 'X' and 'Y', from front to rear, and the [[port and starboard]] wing turrets were 'P' and 'Q' respectively. The guns could initially be depressed to −5° and elevated to +13.5°, although the turrets were modified to allow 16° of elevation during the First World War. They fired {{convert|850|lb|kg|adj=on}} projectiles at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2746|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}; at +13.5°, this provided a maximum range of {{convert|16500|yd|m|abbr=on}} with [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armour-piercing (AP)]] 2 [[List of British ordnance terms#C.R.H.|crh]] shells. Using the more aerodynamic, but slightly heavier, 4 crh AP shells at the same elevation, the range was extended to {{convert|18850|yd|m|abbr=on}}. The rate of fire of these guns was about two rounds per minute<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 59–61</ref> and the ships carried 80 shells per gun.<ref name=b4/>
 
The 12-pounder ({{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on}}) guns with which ''Dreadnought'' was equipped to provide protection from [[torpedo boat]]s were recognised as being insufficiently powerful and sixteen {{convert|4|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns replaced the twenty-eight guns on ''Dreadnought''. These were 50-calibre [[BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VII|BL 4-inch Mark VII]] guns. Pairs of these guns were installed in unshielded mounts on the roofs of 'A', 'P', 'Q' and 'Y' turrets, and the other eight were positioned in single mounts at [[forecastle]]-deck level in the [[superstructure]].<ref name=p3/>{{refn|Sources disagree on the type and composition of the secondary armament. Burt claims that they were the older [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|quick-firing]] QF Mark III guns.<ref name=b4/> Neither book by Preston identify the type, but he does call them quick-firers.<ref name=p5/><ref name=g2/> Parkes also does not identify the type, but he does say that they were 50-calibre guns<ref name=p3>Parkes, p. 498</ref> and Preston agrees.<ref name=g2>Preston 1985, p. 22</ref> Friedman shows the QF Mark III as a 40-calibre gun and states that the 50-calibre BL Mark VII gun armed all of the early dreadnoughts.<ref>Friedman, pp. 97–98</ref>|group=Note}} The guns had a maximum elevation of +15° which gave them a range of {{convert|11400|yd|m|abbr=on|0}}. They fired {{convert|31|lb|kg|adj=on|1}} projectiles at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2821|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.<ref name=f1>Friedman 2011, pp. 97–98</ref> They were provided with 200 rounds per gun. Four 3-pounder ({{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on|1|order=flip}}) [[saluting gun]]s were also carried. The ships were equipped with three [[British 18 inch torpedo|18-inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] submerged [[torpedo tube]]s, one on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] and another in the [[stern]], for which fourteen [[torpedo]]es were provided.<ref name=b4/>

In order to accommodate the weight of the enlarged anti-[[torpedo bulkhead]]s, the thickness of the [[Belt armor|waterline belt]] of the ''Bellerophon''-class ships was reduced from {{convert|11|to|10|in|mm|0}} in thickness. The belt consisted of [[Krupp cemented armour]] that extended between 'A' and 'Y' [[barbette]]s, reducing to a thickness of {{convert|6|in|0}} forward and {{convert|5|in|0}} aft before it reached the ships' ends. It covered the side of the [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] from the middle [[deck (ship)|deck]] down to {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m|1}} below the normal [[waterline]] where it tapered to {{convert|8|in|0|}} on the bottom edge. Above this was a [[strake]] of armour 8 inches thick that had its top edge {{convert|8|ft|6|in|m|1}} above the waterline. An 8-inch oblique [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]] connected the thickest parts of the waterline and upper armour belts to the rear barbette; there was no forward equivalent.<ref name=bp>Burt, pp. 62, 64; Parkes, p. 498</ref>

The three centreline barbettes were protected by armour {{convert|9|in|0}} thick above the main [[deck (ship)|deck]] that thinned to {{convert|5|in|0}} below it, except for the rear barbette which was 9 inches thick for its entire height. The wing barbettes were similar except that they had {{convert|10|in|0}} of armour on their outer faces. The gun turrets had {{convert|11|in|0|adj=on}} faces and sides with 3-inch roofs. The three armoured decks ranged in thicknesses from {{convert|0.75|in}} to 4 inches. The front and sides of the forward [[conning tower]] were protected by 11-inch plates, although the rear and roof were 8 inches and 3 inches thick, respectively. The aft conning tower had 8-inch sides and a 3-inch roof. While ''Dreadnought'' had torpedo bulkheads that protected only the [[Magazine (artillery)|magazines]], the ''Bellerophon''s had complete longitudinal bulkheads, 0.75 to 3 inches thick, that covered the sides of the hull between the fore and aft [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s.<ref name=bp/>