Earliest US entry into WW II?

USS Nevada -a newer ship- was in a sinking condition after one hit by a 45cm tropedo at PH. Unless the older Texas had gotten a refit Nevada didn´t just one 53cm torpedo might have sunk her.

USS Texas was underway, and presumably somewhat alert since she was on patrol. USS Nevada was in port with all watertight doors open and a large part of her crew ashore. I wouldn't describe her as 'in a sinking condition' either; she took on a slight list which the crew was able to correct and was underway half an hour later. She grounded later after taking several bomb hits.

Although I'll grant the possibility of one torpedo hit sinking USS Texas, I don't think it is likely.

Two? Mabye.

Three? Good chance.
 
Having a U-boat captain make a mistake and sink a major US warship - a cruiser or even bigger - would very proabbly lead to a DOW.

destroyers are small and seen as expendable, cruisers arent, and a lot more US sailors would have died.

Now have the U-boat also sink the US destroyer rescuing men, and a DoW is probably certain....!

This is unlikely before early-middle 41, though. Second half 41 is most likely

There was a sub who penetrated the ASW for USS Yorktown when she was on neutrality patrol... now the U-boats where under emphatic orders not to engage american ships... but say the destroyers panic and start depth charging the sub and damage it, and in self defense the sub puts 4 fish into Yorktown and sinks her

me thinks that is a DOW action
 
There was a sub who penetrated the ASW for USS Yorktown when she was on neutrality patrol... now the U-boats where under emphatic orders not to engage american ships... but say the destroyers panic and start depth charging the sub and damage it, and in self defense the sub puts 4 fish into Yorktown and sinks her

me thinks that is a DOW action

A defensive action would be to attack the destroyers in that case, not the USS Yorktown (CV5), and the US would be seen as the instigator in any case. This would make a DOW very hard to get.

Germany, OTOH, would have been given yet another causus belli.
 
A defensive action would be to attack the destroyers in that case, not the USS Yorktown (CV5), and the US would be seen as the instigator in any case. This would make a DOW very hard to get.

Germany, OTOH, would have been given yet another causus belli.

Perhaps the destroyers box the U-boat in, and the only way out is through Yorktown... if the sub is sunk... the German side of the story wouldn't exist and FDR would just say the Germans attacked without provocation and ask for DOW
 
Perhaps the destroyers box the U-boat in, and the only way out is through Yorktown...

...and the skipper of each destroyer is subsequently court-martialed for incompetence?

You drive submarines AWAY from capital ships you're screening.

The USS Texas scenario seems plausible; all we have to do is shift U-203's position when she makes contact.
 
I'll go with the Texas, there's a huge difference between sinking a destroyer and sinking a battleship with over 1000 men aboard in dubious circumstances.
 
I seriously doubt whether the USA would any way start becomming a fighting nation in WW2 prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, since the sinking of a single USN ship, no matter which one, or how large, would be enough to cause the Isolationalist and neutrality loving US Congress and Senate members to vote for a participation in war. Only one thing could trigger such a response, which was an all out attack on US soil, like the Japanese did on territory of Hawaii on the 7th of December 1941.

The President had been a supporter of a more early participation in the war, but was not allowed to do so by the same chambers in Washington DC, as the vast majority wanted nothing of becomming fighting nation.
 
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