Unmanned Ship for Atlantic Crossing

When the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic ocean it was a landmark event in the history of the world. The Europeans who reached the new continent would change the way the world functioned. Now another cutting edge technology hopes to do the same, once again. The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, is a robotic unmanned ship which intends to cross the Atlantic ocean just like it’s namesake did over four centuries ago.

The catamaran style robotic ship is powered by renewable energy and is going to take it’s pioneering trip of 4425 km in September 2020. The ship is over 100 feet in length and is fitted with three research pods filled with various sensors. The science project is being coordinated with partner ProMare and is likely to conduct persistent, ground-breaking research in meteorology, oceanography, climatology, biology, marine pollution and conservation, and autonomous navigation.

The ship’s voyage will begin from Plymouth on 6 Sept 2020. Currently under construction in a ship yard in Poland, the ship will undergo seaworthy tests in spring 2020 before the final journey across the Atlantic Ocean. It will follow the same route taken by the Pilgrims in the original Mayflower from Plymouth to Plymouth. However it will then proceed to circumnavigate the Earth.