Can't delete outpost

[Chug]

So when you go to delete an outpost you receive a warning that you will loose all ships and goods in that port if you choose to delete the outpost. That's fine. However, when you type the code and click confirm it tells you "unable to close outpost - port has docked ships".

 

So now i have several outposts in what are now enemy controlled ports, with ships in that I don't want, that are far away, that I can't TP too and I can't delete.

Do I really have to sail for an hour to go to a port to scrap a basic cutter just to delete that outpost and sail for an hour all the way back?
 

 

[Aster]

Yup

[Sir Texas Sir]

And remember you have to be in a trade ship to enter said port.  Easy way is to take basic cutter, capture a Trader Brig in the area when you get there.  Scuttle your basic cutter.  Enter port with trader brig....destroy the ship and anything in there.  Leave port tag an AI or get tagged by player, get sunk and than sent back to your own ports.   You can surrender as soon as the battle starts so you don't even have to fight it out.

They did this cause of folks accidentally deleting ports with stuff in it and than complaining

[Chug]

but you get like 3-4 different warnings and a code to type... if you still mess up and delete something you didn't want to then after all that you deserve to loose it all

I'm now stuck with 3 useless outposts across the map that for me to just delete will take hours of real time to basically do nothing. How is that good game design?

The warnings literally say "this will delete your ships in that outpost" but it wont let you do it anyway? so why have the warning or the option to do so?