Would a modern warship need its main battery against wooden ships?

Would a battleship or battlecruiser use its main battery against wooden ships?

Usually no: secondary guns would be enough, though an all-big-gun ship without them would have to use its main battery.

A modern ship's secondary battery would ordinarily be sufficient against wooden targets. The imbalance in weapon power means a battleship or battlecruiser would not normally need to expend main-battery ammunition. An all-big-gun ship without secondary weapons would be the exception. In that unusual case, a vessel such as HMS Dreadnought would have to use its primary guns because no smaller battery was available.