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The torpedo belt was part of the armoring scheme in some warships between the 1920s and 1940s. It consisted of a series of lightly armored compartments, extending laterally along a narrow belt that intersected the ship's waterline. In theory this belt would absorb the explosions from torpedoes, or any naval artillery shells that struck below the waterline, and thus minimize internal damage to the ship itself.
Torpedo belts are also known as Side Protection Systems or SPS, or Torpedo Defense System or TDS.