Over the last several days, I've encountered some pirate dreadnoughts just floating in space, not hostile or anything. They share my design and engine color, but the name and crew is not the same. No gravity interiors, and sometimes the game will randomly throw you out into space. Figured it was a bug, but harmless enough.
So, just now, I warped into a system, business as usual. I summon my pirate dreadnought... and it promptly explodes. Next thing I know, a standard "save the civilian freighter from a dreadnought" mission starts. I fight the dreadnought, and over the course of the fight, I hear several massive explosions that shake the screen and everything. I defeat the dreadnought, then turn around and see... this.
My dreadnought is fine, by the way. I did watch it explode with my own eyes, but no harm done.