Speed and broadside fire supported crossing the T

HMS Dreadnought carried ten twelve-inch guns in five twin turrets. The wing-turret arrangement theoretically allowed six guns to bear forward or aft, but blast made four a more realistic figure in either direction. Her principal strength was an eight-gun broadside. Tsushima had reinforced the value of crossing an opponent's T, where one line could use its broadside against an enemy's leading ships. Dreadnought's 21-knot speed was intended to help the British line get ahead and create that favorable geometry, linking propulsion and turret layout to the same tactical purpose.