[HawaiiFive-O]

Escorts are a major component of my battle fleets. Don't put shields/armor on them, as the AI rarely shoots at the little buggers. I use them as:
1) Sensor boats.
2) Point Defense boats.
3) Movement interdictors- surround the enemy ships so they can't move.
3) Suicide boarding ships. After a certain point, the AI always puts a Self-Destruct Device on board their ships. This can be inconvenient if you want to actually capture their ships, but it is also the ultimate weapon if you just want to blow them up. Cram 3 Boarding Party modules on board the ES and once the shields are ripped down send the ES in to board. If successful the enemy ship blows up. I've taken out multiple dreadnoughts this way. Use Master Computers if you don't like the thought of kamikaze crews.