Self destruction

Self destructing is a command used to intentionally destroy your own ship. Self destructing is most often used as a means to rob enemy pilots of the satisfaction of destroying a ship personally, or as a means to dispose of unwanted ships.

With the introduction of tech 3 ships, self destructing can also be used to prevent the skill loss normally associated with losing a tech 3 vessel.

Activating the self destruct on a ship begins a count-down to the ship exploding, which can be interrupted at any time by the pilot before the ship's detonation. The ship can still be destroyed normally during this countdown, incurring all of the normal penalties for losing a ship (such as the loss of a skill level when in a tech 3 ship).

Self destructing a ship leaves a wreck in space that can still be looted and salvaged normally.