I expect that Wilson's anglophile government would either try to deep six the project or if any did get killed try to do as little as possible.
Actually the Wilson Administration was far less anglophile in 1916 than in 1915. Germany had been keeping a low profile u-boat wise, and there'd been major quarrels with Britain over blacklists etc, and even previously pro-Ally figures were losing patience.
The big problem is the ease with which US merchant subs could be mistaken for u-boats. It would be far too easy to plead mistaken identity.
The German dream solution of US getting pissed to the point of doing neutrality convoy escorts is very, very unlikely.
Michael
Agreed. If the US ever got that annoyed with Britain there were far easier ways of retaliating. Frex, much of her fuel oil (vital for the RN) came from America. The US could also have barred armed merchantmen from her ports, which would have been a serious blow, as unarmed ones were more vulnerable to u-boats.
The only time there was any likelihood of convoying was in Feb 1917, as a possible alternative to arming the merchantmen themselves. Iirc it was discussed in cabinet but the US Navy (like the RN at that time) doubted its practicality. This is of interest since had it been adopted (as it might be if Wilson anticipates the Senate filibuster) there would probably have been no US merchantmen sunk in March, possibly delaying or even averting the declaration of war.