by Tyler Cunnington, KOMO News Reporter
EVERETT, Wash. — A historical feat of engineering has come together right here in the Puget Sound: the U.S Navy's first-ever fully autonomous vessel, which can sail without a crew, has been christened in the Port of Everett.
The ship, named the USX-1 Defiant, is the prototype resulting from about five years of work by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The premise of the project was to find a way to make a naval ship, just like a Roomba. Yes, the circular robot that cleans your kitchen floors. However, the concept, he says, is essentially the same. Fit the technology for an autonomous program into a big vessel.
For the surface Navy, most of the people on the ship, most of the time, are there just to keep the ship running," explained Greg Avicola, DARPA's Program Manager in the Tactical Technology Office. "So how do we build a Roomba, if you will, that can operate on the ocean for long periods without going in and fixing it every day? And that is the goal of the program.
The ship was created for much less than usual. Avicola says that without having to build a bigger ship to accommodate sailors and naval personnel, along with hallways and control rooms, the ship is actually inherently much smaller, and as a result, more cost-effective too.
Additionally, he says the prototype can be produced at less sophisticated ship bases. For instance, Defiant was partly assembled at the Everett Ship Repair yard, which created its hull, with wiring and piping. That yard is considered a Tier III shipyard, which usually means fishing vessels, tugboats, and yachts.
By designing the ship this way, we can touch all of those that are untouched industrial bases and use them for stuff like this," Avicola said. "We can also repair the ship at a yard like that. So that's a critical thing.
Defiant was the culmination of that ambition, and on Monday, Aug. 11, it had its traditional 'christening' ceremony, to be given a name and have wishes of safe sails ahead.
"The fact that I got to see it from inception to the end is just really gratifying," said Avicola.
Defiant will now have to pass one final test, which comes in the form of a long voyage out on the open seas, facing different sea conditions and navigating itself all on its own. No crewmembers aboard.
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