Ships being swallowed

[Ramsar]

I was attacking a planet while suddenly the following message appeared: "2 ships have been swallowed by AI ships (94% health remaining)". What exactly is this swallowing mechanic and which enemy ship causes it? (I can't find one in the planetary summary that is listed to cause this)

[Shrugging Khan]

Maws and Deconstructors can swallow, just look them up in the reference tab for details.

[x4000]

Specifically Spire Maws (mobile), and AI Starship Deconstructors (these are guardians).  They ingest your ships like they a transport, but instead of carrying them safely, they constantly are breaking them down inside.  If you destroy the swallower in advance of your ships being completely destroyed inside of it, your ships will pop back out with whatever health they had remaining.

[Ramsar]

Strangely enough neither of those are present at the planet I'm attacking And when all my ships are ordered to retreat to my planet the swallowing message disappears (while the health was still at +90%)


Apparently the message is non-planet specific (my bad, though it would be handy if it indicated at which planet the deconstructor or the maw is present). A starship deconstructor was present at one of my other systems and died around the time that all my ships retreated from the planet attack.

[RogueThunder]

Indeed.

They severely brutalise some ships. Z Elec Bombers a bit too much so.

Teleport Battlestations too. But TP BS needed a good counter anyway. So. That ones a good thing.