Royal Navy training rules before World War I restricted firing over another turret and across the deck. Reading those rules alone can suggest that the actions were impossible. Wartime accounts and personal papers instead describe their use. The explanation offered is that blast could damage delicate instruments, making the practice expensive in peace. In combat, that equipment risk could be accepted to avoid a greater danger.
Notable Point · 43:53-45:18
Peacetime firing restrictions can mislead historians
Training restrictions on superfiring and cross-deck fire did not necessarily describe what ships could do in combat.