Cross The "T"...

5fish

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I suspect many of you know the military term called "Crossing the "T" ". It is something all navies try to achieve but few have...


snip...

Crossing the T or capping the T is a classic naval warfare tactic used from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, in which a line of warships crosses in front of a line of enemy ships, allowing the crossing line to bring all their guns to bear while receiving fire from only the forward guns of the enemy.[1]

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. The tactic became largely obsolete with the introduction of missiles and aircraft as long-range strikes are less dependent on the direction the ships are facing.


Snip... battles...

Notable battles in which warships crossed the T include:

  • Battle of Tsushima (1905) – Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, by use of wireless communications and the proper deployment of reconnaissance, had positioned his fleet in such a way as to bring the Russian fleet to battle, "irrespective of speeds".[2] Tōgō had preserved for himself the interior lines of movement, while forcing the longer lines of movement upon his opponent, whichever course the Russian admiral should take; and by his selected positioning had the effect of "throwing the Russian broadsides more and more out of action".[3] "He had headed him"[4] (crossed his T). The Russian admiral, other than retreat or surrender, had no other option other than "charging Tōgō's battle line" or "accepting a formal pitched battle".[5] Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky chose the latter, resulting in his total defeat in the only decisive fleet action in naval history fought solely by modern battleships. Rozhestvensky was severely wounded during the battle and was taken prisoner. Seven battleships were sunk, and one was captured by the Japanese.
  • Battle of Elli (1912) – 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. 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, but the German fleet was both times able to escape by reversing course in poor visibility.
  • Battle of Cape Esperance (1942) – the first United States (U.S.) naval night battle victory over the Japanese when a U.S. force of cruisers and destroyers under Admiral Norman Scott crossed the T of a cruiser–destroyer force under Aritomo Gotō. Gotō's force was approaching Guadalcanal on October 11, 1942 to bombard Henderson Field in support of a Tokyo Express reinforcement mission when it was surprised and defeated by Scott's force in a confused night battle. Gotō died of his wounds shortly after the battle, and lost the cruiser Furutaka along with three destroyers.
  • Battle of Surigao Strait (1944) – the most recent time a battle line crossed the T, this engagement took place during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 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 flanked by numerous heavy and light cruisers. A smaller Japanese force under Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura came up the strait, aware of the formidable strength of the American force but nonetheless pressing on. Half of Nishimura's fleet was eliminated by the Americans' destroyer torpedoes, but the Japanese admiral continued on with his remaining few ships. Oldendorf's battleships were arrayed in a line perpendicular to the direction of the approaching Japanese ships, and they unleashed their radar-directed fire-power upon Japanese vessels, whose return fire was ineffectual due to the lack of radar fire control and earlier battle damage. Nishimura went down with his ship. Despite this, however, Yamashiro's guns, along with cruiser Mogami, managed to severely damage an American destroyer. This was the last time the T was crossed in an engagement between battleships, and the last occasion on which battleships fought each other.
 

5fish

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@rittmeister AND @Wehrkraftzersetzer , The German fleet was lucky at the Battle of Jutland to survive being crossed twice by the Brits...

Here three links about the Battle the first is the setup every ship involved in the battle and the next link is the battle and finality of battle... If you want to know about the battle these links will do that...



 

rittmeister

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@rittmeister AND @Wehrkraftzersetzer , The German fleet was lucky at the Battle of Jutland to survive being crossed twice by the Brits...

Here three links about the Battle the first is the setup every ship involved in the battle and the next link is the battle and finality of battle... If you want to know about the battle these links will do that...



they had trained the gefechtskehrtwende for ages - not exactly what i would call luck
 

5fish

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Yes, it seem the maneuver saved the Capital ships and was done expertly the first time..

snip...

By 18:30, the main battle fleet action was joined for the first time, with Jellicoe effectively "crossing Scheer's T".. Realising he was heading into a death trap, Scheer ordered his fleet to turn and disengage at 18:33. Under a pall of smoke and mist, Scheer's forces succeeded in disengaging by an expertly executed 180° turn in unison ("battle about turn to starboard", German Gefechtskehrtwendung nach Steuerbord), which was a well-practised emergency manoeuvre of the High Seas Fleet.[84] Scheer declared:

snip... a little tougher the next time...

Commodore Goodenough's 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron dodged the fire of German battleships for a second time to re-establish contact with the High Seas Fleet shortly after 19:00. By 19:15, Jellicoe had crossed Scheer's "T" again. This time his arc of fire was tighter and deadlier, causing severe damage to the German battleships... At 19:17, for the second time in less than an hour, Scheer turned his outnumbered and out-gunned fleet to the west using the "battle about turn" (German: Gefechtskehrtwendung), but this time it was executed only with difficulty, as the High Seas Fleet's lead squadrons began to lose formation under concentrated gunfire.[90

Snip... I am surprised the death charges by the German ships did not go down in history...

To deter a British chase, Scheer ordered a major torpedo attack by his destroyers and a potentially sacrificial charge by Scouting Group I's four remaining battlecruisers. Hipper was still aboard the torpedo boat G39 and was unable to command his squadron for this attack.[91] Therefore, Derfflinger, under Captain Hartog, led the already badly damaged German battlecruisers directly into "the greatest concentration of naval gunfire any fleet commander had ever faced", at ranges down to 4 mi (3.5 nmi; 6.4 km).[92]

In what became known as the "death ride", all the battlecruisers except Moltke were hit and further damaged, as 18 of the British battleships fired at them simultaneously.
Scheer was out of trouble and the German destroyers were moving in to attack.[92] In this brief but intense portion of the engagement, from about 19:05 to about 19:30, the Germans sustained a total of 37 heavy hits while inflicting only two; Derfflinger alone received 14
 

rittmeister

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Yes, it seem the maneuver saved the Capital ships and was done expertly the first time..

snip...

By 18:30, the main battle fleet action was joined for the first time, with Jellicoe effectively "crossing Scheer's T".. Realising he was heading into a death trap, Scheer ordered his fleet to turn and disengage at 18:33. Under a pall of smoke and mist, Scheer's forces succeeded in disengaging by an expertly executed 180° turn in unison ("battle about turn to starboard", German Gefechtskehrtwendung nach Steuerbord), which was a well-practised emergency manoeuvre of the High Seas Fleet.[84] Scheer declared:

snip... a little tougher the next time...

Commodore Goodenough's 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron dodged the fire of German battleships for a second time to re-establish contact with the High Seas Fleet shortly after 19:00. By 19:15, Jellicoe had crossed Scheer's "T" again. This time his arc of fire was tighter and deadlier, causing severe damage to the German battleships... At 19:17, for the second time in less than an hour, Scheer turned his outnumbered and out-gunned fleet to the west using the "battle about turn" (German: Gefechtskehrtwendung), but this time it was executed only with difficulty, as the High Seas Fleet's lead squadrons began to lose formation under concentrated gunfire.[90

Snip... I am surprised the death charges by the German ships did not go down in history...

To deter a British chase, Scheer ordered a major torpedo attack by his destroyers and a potentially sacrificial charge by Scouting Group I's four remaining battlecruisers. Hipper was still aboard the torpedo boat G39 and was unable to command his squadron for this attack.[91] Therefore, Derfflinger, under Captain Hartog, led the already badly damaged German battlecruisers directly into "the greatest concentration of naval gunfire any fleet commander had ever faced", at ranges down to 4 mi (3.5 nmi; 6.4 km).[92]

In what became known as the "death ride", all the battlecruisers except Moltke were hit and further damaged, as 18 of the British battleships fired at them simultaneously.
Scheer was out of trouble and the German destroyers were moving in to attack.[92] In this brief but intense portion of the engagement, from about 19:05 to about 19:30, the Germans sustained a total of 37 heavy hits while inflicting only two; Derfflinger alone received 14
otoh the brits thought they could anihilate them twice
 

5fish

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they had trained the gefechtskehrtwende for ages - not exactly what i would call luck
You should ask the Japanese at Battle of Surigao Strait (1944) ...

snip...

Shortly after the turn of the midwatch on October 25, 1944, pinpoints of light began to flicker on the radar scopes of the PT-boats as Nishimura’s force began to transit the strait. The Japanese were steaming in a column with 1,000-yard intervals between ships. In the lead were the destroyers Michishio, Asagumo, Shigure and Yamagumo. The battleships Yamashiro, Nishimura’s flagship, and Fuso followed the destroyers. Last in line was the heavy cruiser Mogami. Shima’s force followed Nishimura into the strait at a distance of some 20 miles.

snip...

Oldendorf’s battle line, consisting of Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Maryland and West Virginia, also harkened back to a bygone era. All but Mississippi had been present at Pearl Harbor. Raised, rebuilt and modernized, they were now the near-equals of more modern battleships in all but speed.

snip...

In the resulting battle ending the following day, the Japanese lost the battleships Fuso and Yamashiro and the destroyers Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo. The battle holds the distinction of being the last naval battle in which air power did not play a part, except in pursuit. A
 

rittmeister

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You should ask the Japanese at Battle of Surigao Strait (1944) ...

snip...

Shortly after the turn of the midwatch on October 25, 1944, pinpoints of light began to flicker on the radar scopes of the PT-boats as Nishimura’s force began to transit the strait. The Japanese were steaming in a column with 1,000-yard intervals between ships. In the lead were the destroyers Michishio, Asagumo, Shigure and Yamagumo. The battleships Yamashiro, Nishimura’s flagship, and Fuso followed the destroyers. Last in line was the heavy cruiser Mogami. Shima’s force followed Nishimura into the strait at a distance of some 20 miles.

snip...

Oldendorf’s battle line, consisting of Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Maryland and West Virginia, also harkened back to a bygone era. All but Mississippi had been present at Pearl Harbor. Raised, rebuilt and modernized, they were now the near-equals of more modern battleships in all but speed.

snip...

In the resulting battle ending the following day, the Japanese lost the battleships Fuso and Yamashiro and the destroyers Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo. The battle holds the distinction of being the last naval battle in which air power did not play a part, except in pursuit. A
what'd be your answer if i told you oldendorf is a german name? birthday.gif
 

rittmeister

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... also
ypur source said:
However, by the time that the battleship action was joined, the Japanese line was very ragged and consisted of only one battleship (Yamashiro), one heavy cruiser, and one destroyer, so that the "crossing of the T" was notional and had little effect on the outcome of the battle.
 

5fish

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what'd be your answer if i told you oldendorf is a german name?
birthday.gif
All those battleship involved in Oldendorf's line were WWone era Battleships built either during or right after WWone... I figure his name was German... outside chase it being Russian...
 

5fish

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The battleships Yamashiro, Nishimura’s flagship, and Fuso followed the destroyers. Last in line was the heavy cruiser Mogami. Shima’s force followed Nishimura into the strait at a distance of some 20 miles.
 

5fish

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The Great Lord Nelson Cross the T at Trafalgar...


The Battle of Trafalgar has been remembered in Greenwich for over 200 years. It was fought between the British Navy and the combined French and Spanish fleets in the Cape of Trafalgar off Cadiz, southern Spain. It was a decisive naval battle at a time when invasion hung in the balance and was a turning point in the war against Napoleon’s France.

It is perhaps best remembered as a tactical triumph. Outnumbered 33 to 27 the British Fleet, under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson, formed two columns and sailed straight at the French in a risky head-on assault.

In a movement called ‘Crossing the t’ the British were to cut the French line in half, disable the French flagship and cause panic and confusion among the enemy.
 

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diane

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I was wondering when Trafalgar would be mentioned! Nelson was leading the windward column with the 104 gun HMS Victory, Collingwood in the 100 gun Royal Sovereign on the leeward column. Villenueve was actually trying to maneuver into a horse shoe to thwart Nelson's tactic but the Franco-Spanish fleet hadn't had much training together and there was a language problem. Neither Villenueve or Gravina was a bad admiral. Nelson knew it was crossing the T and putting his foremost ships under a terrific fire - which the mainsail of the Victory shows very well - but he figured the resulting chaos would offset that disadvantage. It paid off, too. The ships he came between were the Redoubtable and the Bucentaure, the French flagship. He was so close to the Frenchman the Victory's yardarms took down his vangs and at that distance let fly a double shotted rolling broadside straight through the stern and the full length of the ship. Almost all the guns were damaged or dismounted and over half the crew, about 400 sailors, were killed or wounded. On the other side, same thing for the Redoubtable, except Capt Lucas was alongside the Victory. He immediately closed his ports to prevent being swamped, and took to upper deck guns and sharp shooters in the masts...which proved fatal to Nelson.

This is the fore topsail of HMS Victory, on display at Portsmouth during the 200th anniversary commemorations in 2005:

1613018872602.png
www.tripadvisor.co.uk

This sail was discovered in 1960 under a pile of mats in a store room, and is the only sail left from the battle. It's an interesting study, too, as the shape of the holes and tears helps identify what type of shot and ammunition was being used.
 

5fish

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Well would not the USS Constitution have crossed the T with this British ship... Or does Crossing the T only refer to a line of ships...

The link has some naval battle where the Brits eat our lunch... Except for the Constitution...


For fifteen minutes, both ships hammered each other, but the heavier guns and stronger hull of Constitution proved highly effective. Guerriere lost her mizzenmast, which fell overboard and acted like a large rudder, pulling the ship around. Taking advantage of Guerriere’s immobility, Constitution crossed to the vulnerable front of the enemy ship, and delivered a punishing broadside, raking Guerriere from stem to stern, causing the Guerriere’s mainmast to also fall. The Constitution came about and raked her foe again, but during this maneuver, both ships became entangled. Boarding parties were formed on both ships, but were unable to cross the tangled rigging and bowsprit in the heavy seas.
 
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diane

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The American frigates totally revolutionized naval warfare and signalled, maybe ironically, that the age of the heavy wooden warship was coming to an end. Ships like the 3 decker, 140 gun Santisima Trinidad, Spain's pride and joy, were expensive. Nelson's first 'crossing the T' experiment on a mini scale was at Cape St Vincent, when he left Jervis' line of battle and made straight for the huge Spanish first rate...in his canoe. His ship was a frigate, 74 guns, but Nelson saw something his commander couldn't see and went for it. It was like a chihuahua attacking a mastiff.

With the genius ship designer and builder Joshua Humphreys, American frigates became the fastest and best armed ships anywhere. Nelson got the chance to watch Old Ironsides do her thing off Gibralter...and he definitely thought to himself: Oh, yeah... I want one!
 
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