Could the USS Texas have participated in the Battle of Jutland?
(I know Drachinifel had a RPG that he used for a video)
Eg: if she was in England, and the US hadn't entered, politically could she? Or if she did, the politics afterward?
What about physically? Would she have the speed, the armor, the guns to be effective?
(A lot to unwrap here, sorry)
No kidding but it's alright.
I'll answer the easier part first.
USS Texas was comparable to most of the battleships and battlecruisers of the German High Seas Fleet. Her crew had won the several markmenship awards the previous year so they were some of the most accurate of the fleet. Also, her 14 inch guns would easily pierce the armor of the German battlecruisers and a lot of their battleships. The German's strategy at the time was about higher rate of fire accurately with smaller rounds. That strategy change after this battle when it became clear it did not equate to sinking more of the enemy ships. This is as far as I can tell.
However, like all US Dreadnoughts, Texas was slower than the Germans and British. Their average top speed was about 25-26 knots compared to her 21 knots. This could hinder her since the Germans can choose the range and when of the battle. But since this is Jutland, maybe not so much.
TLDR: she has the better firepower and armor but is slower. In the battle she could probably hold her own.
Now, the political answer.
The US was neutral and isolationist at the time. The US Navy kept most (if not all) of it's fleet in it's waters. Most of the population really didn't give WWI much though at the beginning, seeing it as just another war the Europeans were fighting. The major reason the US did eventually join was to insure the Triple Entente (ie England, France, and Russia) were able to repay their war debts to the US. The sinking of Lusitania was just used an excuse by the US government to get involved.
If she had been with the British Navy at the time, the US would had joined the war and not be neutral. Texas and the US BatDiv would had sortied with the British Fleet, like it did in 1918.
If she was in a British port and the US was still neutral, I doubt she would had joined them. Being neutral, she would not engage in any fleet action. Likely she would not remain in their ports for long.
I am not a political science major so I don't really know what the fall out would had been if she had. My guess, it could upset things enough for the US to enter the war. Though the captain would be in hot water to say the least.
TLDR: No. She would not be there in the first place and if she had, her orders would be to remain out of any engagements. I doubt her captain would not want to risk a court-martial and/or demotion in rank.
Thanks for the ask. I've added photos from the time period but didn't have enough info to write a post on them.
