HMS Leviathan (1901) deck so they could be used in heavy weather. Several twelve-pounders were removed to make room for the six-inch guns. The ship's waterline armour belt had a maximum thickness of and was closed off by transverse bulkheads. The armour of the gun turrets and their barbettes was 6 inches thick while the casemate armour was 5 inches thick. The protective deck armour ranged in thickness from and the conning tower was protected by of armour. "Leviathan", named after the Biblical sea monster, was laid down by John Brown and Company at their shipyard in Clydebank on 30 November 1899. She
Leviathan Cave surveys have found newer, longer tubes, and have located longer passages of known tubes. Leviathan Cave is still the longest tube in Africa, but is only the 11th-longest lava tube in the world. Leviathan Cave is divided into two sections, the Upper Leviathan and the Lower Leviathan. The Upper Leviathan is 9,152 m long, with a depth of 408 m. The Lower Leviathan is 2,071 m long, with a depth of 70 m. These segments are considered separately when ranking the length of the Leviathan, per international standard. Like all lava tube caves, Leviathan Cave was formed by hot lava