While reading Wikipedia's article about the turret explosion aboard USS Iowa, I came across this interesting - but inadequately-referenced - anecdote:
I had always been given to understand that the firing arcs for the forward turrets on a battleship (unless blocked, e.g. the C-turret on Rodney & Nelson) could fire from the port quarter all the way around the bow to the starboard quarter. Were there restrictions on the B-turret firing arcs, so that they could only fire port & starboard but not forward?Iowa's new executive officer, Commander John Morse, directed a main battery drill, over the objections of his gun crews, in which Turrets One and Two fired while both were pointed 15° off the starboard side of the ship's bow. At this angle, one of Turret Two's guns was firing over Turret One... The concussion from Turret Two's guns shredded Turret One's gun bloomers (the canvas covers at the base of the main gun barrels) and damaged Turret One's electrical system. Dan Meyer said of the shoot that it was "the most frightening experience I have ever had in my life. The shock wave blew out the turret officer's switchboard and the leads. We had no power, no lights for a time. Men were screaming. There was panic."
(I ask this question mostly about BBs & BCs, since the overpressure from cruiser guns was not as great.)