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PORTLAND, Ore. (Apr. 7, 2016) Sea Hunter, an entirely new class of unmanned ocean-going vessel gets underway on the Williammette River following a christening ceremony in Portland, Ore. Part the of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program, in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is working to fully test the capabilities of the vessel and several innovative payloads, with the goal of transitioning the technology to Navy operational use once fully proven. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)
The United States Navy announced earlier this week that the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 1 will be stood up in San Diego. This division will be comprised of the two already manufactured unmanned vessels, the DARPA-developed Sea Hawk and Sea Hunter, as well as two modified commercial crew boats, the Nomad and Ranger. The Division will also apparently gain three new unmanned ships by the end of 2022.