The US that lost 2,400 personnel and had eight battleships, three cruisers and three destroyer hammered just for a warm up in OTL is going to cry uncle over fear of losing six destroyers?
You realise a more realistic scenario is a destroyer and perhaps six merchantmen, a really old destroyer and minimal crews on the merchies? Say four hundred lives risked to achieve the same result as Pearl?
The Americans do not need to force the blockade here. If the IJN fire sayonara South East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Pearl was a surprise attack vs. ordering to challenge a blockade without the firepower to pull it off. The differences in the setup are rather glaringly obvious.
For humor value lets take your setup instead one of the old Clemson DDs sets out with a handful of merchants. As they approach their destination IJN 5th Cruiser Division and DesRon 2 on blockade duty approach they were vectored in by IJN aircraft. Two CAs and eight destroyers.
The Convoy is ordered to turn around or stop and prepare to boarded. Continued forward movement will me taken as hostile act.
USN commander decides to press to see if the IJN will open fire.
IJNS Nachi and IJNS Haguro open fire at long range with twenty fountains of water rise up in front of the DD as twenty 8" shells are fired.
A final warning is issued.
USN commander follows his orders and keeps going forward.
IJN commander mutters something about stupid idiots and orders the DD sunk.
A short time later the Clemenson is sunk and the destroyers seize the merchant ships in the convoy.
Now explain to me how FDR spins this stunt into Japanese aggression?
US violated a legal blockade and ignored legal orders to turn around and our ship got wasted after refusing the warning shots. The papers aren't stupid and even the partisan ones are going to have to ignore all standing Admiralty Law on the subject.
Call me crazy but I don't see you getting a day of infamy speech out of this.
Just saying.
I can see the US doing some things if FDR is dead set on getting a war but it will take months of build up, an ultimatum followed by a US DoW. Not USN attacks on Japanese ships in international waters or suicide mission convoys.
Michael