At 20:15, during the third "Gefechtskehrtwendung", "Helgoland" was struck by a armor-piercing (AP) shell, from either or , in the forward part of the ship. The shell hit the armored belt about 0.8 m (32 in) above the waterline, where the armor was only 15 cm thick. The 15-inch shell broke up on impact, but it still managed to tear a hole in the hull. It rained splinters on the foremost port side 15 cm gun, though it could still be fired. Approximately 80 tons of water entered the ship.