Historically, large surface warships were known by the generic label of battleships, with a further distinction between pre-dreadnoughts and dreadnoughts.
An early concern was that the pressure and shock from the higher turret would damage the lower one when firing over the top.
In 1908, United States Navy tests using the monitor USS Florida (BM-9) as the testbed proved that superfiring was safe.
The British Dido-class, which were also light cruisers armed entirely with dual-purpose guns (the 5.25" Mk 1), also had three turrets forward, with two aft.
Examples of non-superfiring designs include but are not limited to the Gangut, Imperatritsa Mariya, and Imperator Nikolai classes of battleships built for the Imperial Russian navy, as well as modern ships such as the Zumwalt-class destroyers.