This is why the speed issue as it stands right now is so ridiculous. Half the ships in the game lose their usefulness when speed mods can be stacked so effectively on the big guys.
I like the one durability thing. It hurts when you lose a ship to be sure, but everyone else is in the "same boat" so to speak, so it is all fair. I like it a lot.
In Fairness I don't think it is Griefing since fireship outfittings are specifically in this game, and are intended to have exactly this effect. I think it is an unfortunate oversight by the devs. Griefing would be doing it repeatedly to the same person over and over.
Pirates should not be crafting heavy rated ships. That's like modern Somalian pirates building aircraft carriers, and battleships. Ridiculous. Let's make pirates a really cool hard mode thing like they should be.
I have always been here for the wonderful ships and pvp battles. Plain and simple, there is no better feeling than winning a good fight against an opponent that has equal or better odds than me in the fight.
I'm sure there is a reason it's being done this way, but there are going to be a whole lot of very angry people who miss all this, and are going to rage VERY hard when they come back to find their promised rank is gone.