Navy deploys autonomous ship designed to run without humans

The US Navy has just taken delivery of a ship designed to operate autonomously at sea for up to 30 days.

Austal USA manufactured the vessel, has effectively added autonomous capabilities to a catamaran-style Spearhead class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) similar to those the biz has been building for the US Navy since 2012.

All Spearhead-class vessels include the Australian multinational's machinery control systems (MCS), which "allow the ship to be minimally manned by centralizing machinery operations to the bridge." However, this one – USNS Apalachicola (EPF-13) – is the first craft to be fitted with automated maintenance, health monitoring and mission readiness software that is expected to enable it to conduct "up to 30 days of operation without human intervention," Austal announced.

With a hull length of 103 meters (337 feet), Apalachicola will be the US Navy's largest-ever autonomous craft. Spearhead-class vessels have a maximum speed of 40 knots, a maximum payload capacity of 544 metric tons, and a draft of just 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) – meaning it's also fast and can operate in quite shallow waters for its size.