Q&A · 2:58:34-2:59:38

If USS New Jersey were loaned for the Falklands

A loaned Iowa-class battleship would add commanding shore-bombardment power but would make American alignment with Britain impossible to disguise.

Question

What changes if the United States loans USS New Jersey to the Royal Navy for the Falklands War?

Short answer

It gives Britain exceptional command and shore-bombardment capability, but publicly commits the United States to the British side of the war.

Notes

New Jersey would be an effective flagship and amphibious-fire-support asset. Its political meaning would matter as much as its guns: lending one of America's few reactivatable battleships signals direct support for Britain. That could deter Argentina or trigger an even larger American contribution if the conflict continued.