I was the Falcata pilot in question, assisting the rogues 'Kiss-This-etc.' and U-171 who were being chased around New York by the Birmingham. We locked down the trade lane between the California jump gate and West Point (by the Rogue Destroyer, it wasn't a random placement) in order to lure the capital ship into combat. It happened to vanish for a while, but when it returned we engaged and destroyed the vessel. At this point, our purpose concluded, we broke up to pursue other goals.
I can confirm that both Kiss This and U-171 were in gunboats.