Blue Water Autonomy has unveiled details of Liberty, its first autonomous surface vessel intended for the U.S. Navy. The steel ship measures 57.9 m, is designed for a range of more than 10,000 nautical miles, and offers payload capacity of over 150 tonnes. The company said the vessel was designed in partnership with Damen Shipyards Group, with construction scheduled to start in March 2026 at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana. The first unit is expected to be completed for the U.S. Navy later this year under a program of record.
The announcement comes as the U.S. Navy moves to expand fleet capacity and accelerate unmanned systems that can complement crewed ships. Liberty is intended to support a variety of mission payloads, including missile, sensor, and logistics packages. Blue Water Autonomy said the design is immediately producible using existing U.S. shipyards and commercial supply chains.
For the platform, Blue Water Autonomy selected Damen’s Stan Patrol 6009 hull, citing the Axe Bow configuration. The vertical bow form is designed to cut through waves, reduce slamming, and enable more gradual wave re-entry. The company noted that more than 300 Axe Bow vessels are operating globally, and said the established hull form reduces technical risk while enabling engineering focus on re-architecting internal systems for autonomous operation. The resulting design is intended to retain payload capacity and seakeeping characteristics while supporting months-long deployments and repeat production.
According to Blue Water Autonomy, the redesign began in the engine room and extended across mechanical and electrical systems, including autonomous configuration of fault-tolerant propulsion systems. These choices are intended to enable automated control and fault management with limited human intervention over long-duration deployments.
The vessel program is privately funded, reflecting a broader push by Navy and Pentagon leadership for contractors to privately develop key military technology. Blue Water Autonomy said it worked with more than 100 suppliers, including Damen Shipyards Group and Conrad Shipyard, to develop the ship. Conrad Shipyard said its facilities, workforce, and production readiness support construction and serial builds. Following delivery of the first ship, Blue Water Autonomy plans to move into serial production, targeting 10 to 20 vessels per year.
