 The most common goal in ship-to-ship combat would be the capture of the enemy vessel, either by directly boarding it and carrying the deck, or by subduing the ship by cannon fire.An enemy ship will always surrender if it is dismasted (except escort ships, which never surrender) although it may also choose to surrender if faced with a powerful boarding party compared to its own crew or if very seriously damaged.Smaller ships are suited to the former strategy (quick boarding, with little cannon fire exchanged), though some are nimble enough to evade enemy fire and win by wearing down even the most powerful warships whose large crew makes early boarding impractical.