In the illustration, the blue ships are crossing the "T" of the red ships.

Crossing the T is a tactic in naval warfare, in which a line of battleships crosses in front of a line of enemy ships, allowing them to bring all their guns to bear while receiving fire from only the forward guns of the enemy. It became possible in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with the advent of steam-powered battleships with rotating gun turrets, which were able to move faster and turn quicker than sailing ships. The tactic became obsolete when missiles and aircraft allowed long-range strikes. Image File history File links Crossing_the_T.png‎ Beschreibung: Das Crossing the T-Manöver Crossing the T Quelle: Gezeichnet mit CorelDraw am 23. ... Image File history File links Crossing_the_T.png‎ Beschreibung: Das Crossing the T-Manöver Crossing the T Quelle: Gezeichnet mit CorelDraw am 23. ... Naval warfare is combat in and on seas and oceans. ... HMS Victory in 1884 Battleship was the name given to the most powerfully gun-armed and most heavily armored classes of warships built between the 15th and 20th centuries. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Exocet missile in flight A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a projectile propelled as a weapon at a target. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ...

Tactics

The British Grand Fleet sailing in line astern during World War I.

When going into battle, ships would assume a battle line formation called "line astern", in which one vessel followed another in one or more parallel lines. This allowed each ship to fire over wide arcs without lofting salvoes above friendly vessels. Each ship in the line generally engaged its opposite number in the enemy battle line. The British Grand Fleet sailing in parallel columns in World War I This image was scanned from a public domain text by the Great War Primary Documents Archive and is made available by them for any purpose provided that they are credited and a link is given to the Photos... The British Grand Fleet sailing in parallel columns in World War I This image was scanned from a public domain text by the Great War Primary Documents Archive and is made available by them for any purpose provided that they are credited and a link is given to the Photos... Grand Fleet during WWI Grand Fleet ships in formation During World War I, the British Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, is not solid but contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large projectiles without a filling which are properly termed shot. ...

Steaming with the enemy off to the side (by crossing the T) enabled a ship to launch salvoes at the same target with both the forward and rear turrets, maximizing the chances for a hit. It also made ranging error less critical for the ship doing the crossing, while simultaneously more critical for the ship being crossed. The tactic, designed for heavily armed and armored battleships, was used with varying degrees of success with more lightly armed and armored cruisers and heavy cruisers. USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1992. ... The term heavy cruiser is used to refer to large cruisers, a form of warship. ...

Advances in gun manufacture and fire-control systems allowed engagements at increasingly long range, from 6,000 yards (5500 m) or so at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 to 20,000 yards (18 000 m) at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The introduction of brown powder, which combusted less rapidly than black powder, allowed longer barrels, which allowed greater accuracy; and because it expanded less sharply than black powder, it put less strain on the insides of the barrel, allowing guns to last longer and to be manufactured to tighter tolerances. The addition of radar allowed World War II ships to fire farther, more accurately, and at night. A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. ... Combatants Japan Russia Commanders Heihachiro Togo Zinovi Rozhdestvenski Nikolai Nebogatov Strength 4 battleships, 27 cruisers, in addition to destroyers and auxiliary vessels 8 battleships, 3 coastal battleships, 8 cruisers Casualties 117 dead, 583 injured, 3 torpedo boats sunk 4380 dead, 5917 injured 21 ships sunk, 7 captured, 6 disarmed The... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Royal Navy (Grand Fleet) Kaiserliche Marine (High Seas Fleet) Commanders Sir John Jellicoe, Sir David Beatty Reinhard Scheer, Franz von Hipper Strength 28 battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 8 heavy cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers 16 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 11 light cruisers, 61 torpedo-boats Casualties 6... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Brown powder is an explosive agent similar to black powder, but with a slower (and therefore gentler) burning rate. ... Black powder for sporting can be freely bought in Switzerland. ... This long range RADAR antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. RADAR is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the direction and distance and/or speed...

Battles

Important battles in which a fleet crossed the T include:

Pennsylvania (BB-38) leading Colorado (BB-45), Louisville (CA-28), Portland (CA-33) and Columbia (CL-56) into Lingayen Gulf, Philippines, January 1945.

• Battle of Tsushima (1905) —Japanese Admiral Togo used his ships' superior speed to cross Russian Admiral Zinovi Petrovich Rozhdestvenski's fleet, gaining a decisive victory for Japan.

• Battle of Elli—Rear Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis aboard the Greek cruiser Georgios Averof at a speed of 20 knots crossed the T of the Turkish fleet on December 13, 1912. The Averof concentrated her fire against the Ottoman flagship, forcing the Turks to retreat.

• Battle of Jutland (1916) —Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, leader of the British Grand Fleet, was able to cross the T twice against the German High Seas Fleet's, but the British were unable to gain a decisive advantage due to inferior gunnery and ammunition.

• Battle of Surigao Strait—The last time a battle line crossed the T, this engagement took place in the Philippines during World War II. Early on October 25, 1944, Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf was guarding the southern entrance to the Leyte Gulf at the northern end of Surigao Strait. He commanded a line of six battleships (West Virginia, Tennessee, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi), flanked by heavy and light cruisers. A smaller Japanese force under Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura came up the strait, unaware of the American force. Oldendorf crossed the T and unleashed his firepower on the Japanese ships, which were either sunk or forced to withdraw. This was the last time the T was crossed in a engagement between battleships.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1384x1109, 253 KB) Description: The battleship USS Pennsylvania leads USS Colorado, USS Louisville, USS Portland, and USS Columbia into Lingayen Gulf before the landing on Luzon, Philippines in January 1945. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1384x1109, 253 KB) Description: The battleship USS Pennsylvania leads USS Colorado, USS Louisville, USS Portland, and USS Columbia into Lingayen Gulf before the landing on Luzon, Philippines in January 1945. ... The second USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) was the lead ship of her class of US Navy super-dreadnought battleships. ... USS Colorado (BB-45), the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 38th state, was the lead ship of her class of battleships. ... USS Louisville (CA-28), a Northampton-class heavy cruiser, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Louisville, Kentucky. ... The first USS Portland (CA–33), a heavy cruiser, was authorized 13 February 1929; laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co. ... The sixth USS Columbia (CL-56) was a light cruiser of the United States Navy, launched 17 December 1941 by New York Shipbuilding Corp. ... The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines. ... Combatants Japan Russia Commanders Heihachiro Togo Zinovi Rozhdestvenski Nikolai Nebogatov Strength 4 battleships, 27 cruisers, in addition to destroyers and auxiliary vessels 8 battleships, 3 coastal battleships, 8 cruisers Casualties 117 dead, 583 injured, 3 torpedo boats sunk 4380 dead, 5917 injured 21 ships sunk, 7 captured, 6 disarmed The... Admiral Togo at the age of 58, at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. ... Zinovi Petrovich Rozhdestvenski1 (1848-January 14, 1909) was an admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy, who was involved in the Russo-Japanese War. ... The Battle of Elli was a naval battle that took place between the Ottoman Empire and Greece during the Balkan Wars. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1992. ... Georgios Averof (Greek ΠΝ Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ) was a Greek armored cruiser which served as the flagship of the Hellenic Navy during the Balkan Wars. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah... Combatants Royal Navy (Grand Fleet) Kaiserliche Marine (High Seas Fleet) Commanders Sir John Jellicoe, Sir David Beatty Reinhard Scheer, Franz von Hipper Strength 28 battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 8 heavy cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers 16 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 11 light cruisers, 61 torpedo-boats Casualties 6... Admiral of the Fleet Lord Jellicoe Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe (December 5, 1859–November 20, 1935) was a British Royal Navy admiral. ... Grand Fleet during WWI Grand Fleet ships in formation During World War I, the British Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet. ... German battlecruiser Derfflinger scuttled at Scapa Flow. ... Combatants Allies Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts Many PT boats, submarines and fleet auxiliaries About 1,500 planes 4 aircraft carriers 9 battleships 19 cruisers 34 destroyers About 200 planes... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Jesse Bartlett Oley Oldendorf (16 February 1887 - 27 April 1974) was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II. Graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1909, he served on cruisers and destroyers before... Leyte Gulf is the body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean. ... Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. ... USS West Virginia (BB-48), a Colorado-class battleship, was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 35th state. ... USS Tennessee (BB-43), the lead ship of her class of battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 16th state. ... USS California (BB-44), a Tennessee-class battleship, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 31st state. ... USS Maryland (BB-46), a Colorado-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the seventh state. ... The second USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) was the lead ship of her class of US Navy super-dreadnought battleships. ... USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), a New Mexico-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state. ... Shoji Nishimura ( - 1944) was a Japanese Vice Admiral who died in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. ...

See also

• Raking fire
• Enfilade

French frigate Poursuivante firing raking fire on a British ship of line In naval warfare, raking fire is fire along the long axis of an enemy ship. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ...

References

• Morrison, Adm. Samuel Eliot. History of Naval Operations in World War II.
• Larrabee, Eric. Commander-in-Chief: Franklin D. Roosevelt, His Lieutenants and Their War.