Crossing the T trades target geometry for broadside weight

Does a ship take shellfire better bow-on than broadside when an enemy crosses its T?

Bow-on geometry may limit the number of hits in one salvo, but the crossing fleet still gains the decisive advantage of firing its full broadside.

Target geometry and the number of guns available to the attacker create different advantages. Long-range salvos tend to fall short or long, so an end-on ship can lie along the dispersion pattern and may be easier to touch with at least one shell. A broadside target presents more width, while a correctly placed salvo can score several hits rather than one. Once a battleship bracketed its target, it could shift to rapid fire while the firing solution continued to produce hits. The fleet crossing the T also brings all of its broadside guns to bear while the opposing line can answer with fewer forward weapons. The tactic remains valuable even though exact hit probabilities depend on range and dispersion.