AI Surrender mechanic

[Preble]

Hi there,

Would it be possible to create a mechanic by which AI ships (particularly traders) choose to surrender to a vastly overmatching foe rather than fight?  Parameters could be how many times greater the enemy is in size/weight of broadside/crew, proximity, and speed.  Merchant sailors weren't keen on getting slaughtered to no end in hopeless fights in the 18th century; creating an AI surrender mechanism would be vastly more realistic than having to force a small merchantman up into the wind to be boarded and its crew cut to pieces in a single round.

Thanks--