Crossing the T in Victory at Sea
Crossing the T, also known as Capping the T is a classic naval warfare tactic used throughout the 19th and 20th century. The manoeuvre involved warships cutting across a line of enemy warships whilst side on, enabling a full broadside. The attacking warship could fire as many of their guns as possible at the enemy while the other ship could only fire its forward guns. This also made the attacker harder to hit in response as it is easier to get the correct line of fire but far more difficult to get the correct length. The ship in the vertical line of the T makes a larger target when adjusting the correct distance of fire while the vessel being attacked would have a much more difficult time trying to range their forward guns in response having a much smaller target to hit.
Crossing the T enabled ships to fire from both the forward and rear turrets. This would seriously increase the number of hits and subsequent damage the vessel would suffer.This manoeuvre was an essential tactic right up to the advent of missiles and more manoeuvrable, long range aircraft as guided strikes from a distance meant it no longer mattered which direction the ships were facing.
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