Thank ye' Raxy(mind if I call you that?
)! Make sure to "WAAAH!" properly after hit!(obscure Monte Python refence)
APDAF: I can truthfully say that I do not know for sure, but after looking at a great many line drawings of a great many battleships, the only answer I end up at is, that this problem was perfectly taken care of IRL, without making the armor belt look like it's just under 1 meter thick. You can thus assume that most SB drawings follow this pattern as well, without looking like they have abnormaly thick armor belts.