Could Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Saratoga join the demonstration?

Pennsylvania was in dry dock with three screws removed, but a warning beginning around 26 November could make reversing or abbreviating her refit the Navy Yard's first priority. Colorado was under overhaul at Puget Sound and would be harder to return, although an early decision to prepare a full battle-line display gives her more chance than the historical timetable. For a diplomatic demonstration, a battleship might only need to float, move, and look battle-ready rather than meet the standard for a prolonged combat deployment. Prewar doctrine and political symbolism also make the battleships the ships planners are most likely to rush, because the visible battle line carries the message. Saratoga had just completed a refit, including new radar, but was only embarking her air group at San Diego on 7 December, so adding her requires substantially earlier coordination. Other battleships on distant or Atlantic duties could not simply be summoned on the same short notice, leaving Pennsylvania plausible, Colorado conditional, and Saratoga less likely.