Yor Trison, keep in mind that was awkm's explanation back in 2013. The harpoon mechanics have changed a bit since then. It was always unwieldy and often a waste of space. During the glory days of the harpoon it would stay attached until you fired a 2nd harpoon and act like a bungee chord between the two ships. Most of the time the harpoon will make both ships flounder about with no direction control, but if you setup the situation just right you could use the harpoon to fling enemy ships into walls. Sadly the game physics don't allow for that level of stupidity anymore.