I used to moor my orc ships for a day or three near the shipping lane I usually patrol. I know if a linked ship is lost/abandoned, it will appear in lighthouse house moving crate, with an empty cargo hold. I only leave easily replaceable repair materials - wood, cloth, iron ingots. I am concerned about the cannon, as some of my ships have Pumpkin bow guns and/or Blunderbuss reward guns. Do the ships reappear in the moving crate stripped or with all cannon intact?
The ship decay timer is wonky at best and I would recommend taking no chances
No the cannons get deleted when the ship decays and goes to the Moving crate AT least thats my experience. I now refresh my boats every morning.
Most ships will go into the moving crate (with cannons) Ive also had a ships not go into the moving crate and i lost it. I also lost a ship because my back pack was full and i tired to drop a ship on the ground and the moving crate disappeared when the ship tried to bounce back into the crate because i didn't target the floor correctly it had a net on it so make sure you back pack has room when you retrieve your ship from the moving crate
Be a good Britannia citizen and dock your ship when you are not using it.
If it goes into decay. The cannons will go poof. Remove them!
I never try to chance it I dont trust it will go into the moving crate