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Reference.org
Crossing the T
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<p>Crossing the <i>T</i> or capping the <i>T</i> is a classic <a href="/facts/Naval_warfare/Wtc3fJYw">naval warfare</a> tactic used from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries in which a line of <a href="/facts/Warship/Vxbv36In">warships</a> crosses in front of a line of enemy ships to allow the crossing line to bring all their guns to bear while it receives fire from only the forward guns of the enemy. </p><p>It became possible to bring all of a ship's main guns to bear only in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, with the advent of steam-powered battleships with rotating gun turrets, which were able to move faster and turn more quickly than sailing ships, which had fixed guns facing sideways. <a href="/facts/Missile/C5VwQClz">Missiles</a> and <a href="/facts/Aircraft/EhC4mBep">aircraft</a> largely obsoleted this tactic as long-range strikes are less dependent on the direction the ships are facing. </p>