US Navy to deploy autonomous Surveyor vessels to map Atlantic seabed

The US Navy awarded Saildrone a $10 million contract to map the Atlantic Ocean seabed using autonomous Surveyor vessels. The survey will run from 2026 to 2027 and support submarine navigation and anti-submarine warfare.

• Contract awarded via the US Naval Oceanographic Office
• Surveyor: 66 feet, 15 tons, up to 100 days autonomy, over 2,500 nautical miles range
• Vessel measures currents to about 3,280 feet depth
• Only 28.7% of the world's oceans mapped with modern methods