What comes to mind when one thinks of the word "battleship?" For many, it means the strongest vessels in the fleet, with the greatest firepower yes, but also with the greatest armor. Designed to combat enemy capital ships, that of course comes with the certainty that the battleship itself will also come under heavy fire from ships near, or perhaps even beyond its own strength. The continuous search of battleship architects to increase protection within the tonnage that they were given during the Dreadnought arms race led to the USS Nevada.
Armor Layout and Protection of the Hull
USS Nevada is a very well-armored battleship. Like other American battleships of the time, she was designed to be able to resist guns similar to her own 14-inch guns at expected battle ranges. This gives her a main armor belt of 13.5 inches, the same as the later USS Arizona. Keep in mind that "expected battle ranges" as designed were usually much further than what is typical in War Thunder. As such, Captains can't always expect their armor to hold up against guns such as the British 13.5-inch and the various 14-inch (and up) guns; albeit 12-inch shells should usually be stopped. The belt goes from 13.5 inches at the waterline to 8 inches slightly below the waterline and 3 inches further down. This leads into the torpedo protection, which on Nevada protects against torpedoes with warheads of up to 250 kg explosive mass.
Turret Armor Layout
The best-armored areas on the ship are the turrets; the angled 16-inch plates on the turret faces are almost impenetrable, the 43-degree angle making it incredibly unlikely for any fire to penetrate the face. This is some of the heaviest armor in-game, period, even for American battleships which are known for strong turret faces. The armor is lighter on the sides, rear, and top with 10 inches, 9 inches, and 5 inches respectively. This leaves the sides and top of the turrets vulnerable to even heavy cruisers, so it's recommended to be cautious of exposing the sides of the turrets.
The barbettes also have 13 inches of armor, which is quite good. This is more than most battleships of the same rank and helps prevent reloads from being delayed. The magazines are placed slightly below the waterline and flush against the hull, mostly shielding them from enemy fire; however, shots on a flat trajectory directly above the waterline do pose a slight risk of ammo rack detonation.
Innovative New Protection: All or Nothing
USS Nevada was the first ship ever to use the "all-or-nothing" armor scheme. This armor philosophy uses the most armor in critical areas like the citadel, and none in other areas. This is perfect for fighting enemy capital ships at range, as AP shells will pass through unimportant areas that lack armor without fusing, and allows for the thickest possible armor over important sections of the ship. However, keep in mind that this also makes the unprotected areas of the ship (especially the amidships deck) vulnerable to taking damage from smaller ships, even destroyers. These areas may not be important, but crew still resides in these areas and constant repairing will still bleed crew, even more so on Nevada since she has so many secondary and anti-aircraft guns.
Crew Numbers and Repair Recommendations
As for the last major part of her survivability, USS Nevada has the largest crew of any battleship in the US Bluewater tree. This lets her take a beating for longer than other American battleships while still being able to repair. However, many of them are manning the extensive anti-aircraft suite of Nevada and are very easily knocked out by splash and splinters from enemy HE shells. It's recommended to avoid repairing non-critical components while under fire, as this would lead to more crew being brought out of the heavily protected areas of the citadel and immediately losing them.
