To stand a chance you'd have to do it while the ship was in port, and preferably while most of the crew wasn't on board, unless the ship had already struck its colours.in the USN, battleships historically had their own attached Marines, who would man weapons or otherwise occupy battle stations during combat. In addition to being helpful during potential mutinies, they combined with the 1,000 or so crew, make successfully boarding a capital ship difficult in the extreme.