page_title: Naval armour
section_title: Sloped armour
hierarchical_section_title: Naval armour / Design / Sloped armour
caption_attribution_description: Russian T-54 tank, used by Finland. This model was cut open in for training purposes. Various systems of the tank have been illustrated with different colors. This view shows the front armour, partly cut away to illustrate its thickness. Finnish Tank Museum (Panssarimuseo) in Parola. Photo taken on July 14, 2006. Source: Photo by me, User:Balcer.
context_page_description: Naval armour refers to the various protections schemes employed by warships, and is distinguished from other kinds of armour. Naval sailing ships have had protection from weaponry since at least Ancient times, when Greek and Roman warships used simple cladding. As weapons evolved and became more destructive, naval armour became an important part of warships. Korean and European ships began to use some iron plating in the 1500s. The first ironclad warship was created in 1859, and the pace of armour advancement accelerated quickly thereafter. The emergence of battleships around the turn of the 20th century saw ships become increasingly large and well armoured. Vast quantities of heavily armoured ships were used during the World Wars, and were crucial in the outcome. The emergence of guided missiles in the last part of the 20th century has greatly reduced the utility of armor, and most modern warships are now only lightly armored.
  Naval armour consists of many different designs, depending on what the armour is meant to protect against.
context_section_description: Simply sloping a piece of armour inherently increases its effectiveness by increasing the distance a projectile must travel to penetrate it. It also increases the odds that a projectile will ricochet off the target without causing damage.
caption: Sloped armour on the front of Soviet T-54 tank, here cut open to demonstrate the increase in effective thickness.
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