U.S. Navy picks Blue Water Autonomy for uncrewed deep-ocean survey work

Blue Water Autonomy has been selected for a multiple-award contract with the Naval Oceanographic Office to provide high-resolution ocean floor mapping using long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels, The Robot Report reported. The award is a multi-year, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a $40 million ceiling that Blue Water Autonomy will compete for alongside other selected companies. CEO Rylan Hamilton said the selection puts the company's autonomy to work across the Indian and Pacific oceans beyond the range of a crewed survey ship. Deep open-ocean surveys characterize seafloor terrain and acoustics and map conditions that shape how naval forces operate far from shore. Crewed survey ships can cost tens of thousands of dollars a day, and NAVOCEANO has expanded uncrewed systems to lower cost, reduce personnel risk, and cover more ocean. Founded in 2024, Blue Water Autonomy raised $50 million in Series A funding last year for $64 million total. In February it unveiled the Liberty Class, a 190-foot steel autonomous ship with more than 10,000 nautical miles of range and over 150 metric tons of payload capacity. The company expects to complete the first vessel for the U.S. Navy this year under a program of record, building on Damen's Stan Patrol 6009 hull redesign for months-long autonomous deployments.