The hull was subdivided by watertight transverse bulkheads into 92 compartments and had a double bottom underneath the engine and boiler rooms. Defence was  shorter overall and displaced over  less than the Warrior-class ironclads.
The ship's hull was separated into 92 watertight compartments using transverse bulkheads, with an additional double-bottom layer underneath the engine and boiler rooms. Its defensive capabilities were shorter in length and had a smaller displacement compared to the Warrior-class ironclads.