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Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)

Blue Water Autonomy, an early-stage startup based in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, is building toward a full-sized long-range autonomous ship and is…

Track Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)
Manufacturer
Blue Water Autonomy
Form factor
maritime_surface
Maturity
prototype
Lifecycle
active

Overview

Blue Water Autonomy, an early-stage startup based in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, is building toward a full-sized long-range autonomous ship and is recorded in the maritime form factor at research, pre-deploy maturity, completing the cohort's maturity ladder at its bottom rung. It was founded in 2024 by chief executive Rylan Hamilton, a former US Navy surface warfare officer and early Amazon Robotics leader who co-founded 6 River Systems, alongside Scott Miller, an early iRobot engineer, and Navy veteran Austin Gray, and has raised about $64 million, a $14 million seed in April 2025 plus a $50 million Series A led by GV, and signed a production agreement with Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana in September 2025. Its verified-versus-claimed profile is the load-bearing point: verified are the company's existence, its $64 million in funding, the GV-led Series A, the Conrad production deal, and a credentialed team, while its roughly 190-foot Liberty-class autonomous ship designed to cross the Pacific and operate for months, and a 2026 first deployment, are claimed and unproven, with no fielded vessel and no DARPA or Navy program-of-record contract as of mid-2026, correctly placing it at research and pre-deploy. Several corrections to common priors apply: it was founded in 2024 rather than 2023, with 2023 a possible stealth-inception; its vessel is described by the company at about 190 feet rather than 100 to 150 feet, the framing having grown; the often-cited Sea Machines founder link could not be confirmed, with the verified pedigree being Navy, Amazon Robotics, and iRobot; and the 2026 first deployment is a forward claim rather than a fielded result.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
prototype(Demo-capable; limited or one-off public appearances.)
Verified deployments
None on file
Sources on file
5 sources, view all

No verified deployments on file. DEPLOY tracks independently-sourced deployment evidence separately from manufacturer capability claims.

Key facts

Length

~190 feet

Payload

~150t

Range

>10,000nm

Autonomy level

90-day autonomy

Maturity

research / pre-deploy

Specs

Notes

Verified: Blue Water Autonomy (Boston/Cambridge MA) is an early-stage autonomous-ship startup. Founders: Rylan Hamilton (CEO; ex-US Navy Surface Warfare Officer + early Amazon Robotics/Kiva + co-founded 6 River Systems), Scott Miller (ex-iRobot), Austin Gray. $14M seed (Apr 2025) + $50M Series A led by GV (Dave Munichiello to board) = $64M total. Conrad Shipyard production agreement (Sept 2025). maturity=RESEARCH / pre-deploy - completes the cohort's maturity ladder at the bottom rung., Verified-vs-claimed (the pre-deploy-vs-ambition gap): VERIFIED: the company exists, $64M raised, GV-led Series A, Conrad production deal, credentialed team. CLAIMED/unproven: the ~190ft autonomous Liberty-class ship, Pacific-crossing endurance, a 2026 first deployment. As of mid-2026 there is NO fielded/delivered vessel and NO DARPA/Navy program-of-record contract. Correctly research/pre-deploy., CORRECTIONS (vs dispatch priors): (1) Founded 2024 (primary sources: GV/Series A PR/Boston Globe), NOT 2023 (the dispatch's '2023' is unsupported; flag as possible stealth-inception). (2) Vessel is ~190ft 'Liberty Class' per the company - NOT '100-150ft' (the company framing has GROWN). (3) The 'ex-Sea Machines' founder link could NOT be confirmed (cap-flag; verified pedigree is Navy/Amazon Robotics/iRobot). (4) 2026 first deployment is a FORWARD claim, not verified-as-fielded., Re-verify 2026-06-03: First deployment did NOT happen: the claimed-2026 milestone slipped to a still-UNREALIZED H2 2026 launch. Liberty-class formally UNVEILED Feb 11 2026 (190ft, >10,000nm range, ~150t payload, 90-day autonomy); Damen hull-license (Stan Patrol 6009 / Axe Bow); lead-hull CONSTRUCTION started at Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City LA) Mar 2026, first completion/delivery targeted H2 2026. As of Jun 2026: no vessel launched, christened, or sea-trialed; still NO awarded Navy contract (company asserts 'program of record' alignment, no binding award); no new funding closed ($64M stands, a larger round is reported as intended only). maturityStage stays research/pre-deployment - NOT advanced to fielded.

Specs

Ambition: a full-sized long-range autonomous ship - ~190ft 'Liberty Class', designed to cross the Pacific + operate for months. Conrad Shipyard (Louisiana) production agreement (Sept 2025). First-deployment target 2026 (CLAIMED, not fielded). Founded 2024, Boston/Cambridge MA; founders Rylan Hamilton (CEO, ex-US Navy / Amazon Robotics / 6 River Systems), Scott Miller (ex-iRobot), Austin Gray (Navy veteran). $14M seed (Apr 2025) + $50M Series A (GV-led) = $64M total.

Form Factor

maritime (autonomous SURFACE vessel / full-size long-range autonomous ship; PRE-DEPLOY)

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

4

5 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class). Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) on the deployment map

Where Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Manufacturer-attributed media (1)

Manufacturer-supplied media at the model level. Not tied to an independently verified named-site deployment. Verification posture is product-showcase from the maker, distinct from the deployment-verified evidence in the section above.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Blue Water Autonomy

Blue Water Autonomy's official unveiling of its planned 190-foot Liberty-class autonomous ship (designed with Damen), shown at WEST 2026. A design reveal, not footage of an operating vessel: the first hull began construction in 2026 and none has yet operated autonomously at sea.

Safety record

No incidents on record for Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class).

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (5)

  1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blue-water-autonomy-announces-50-million-series-a-led-by-gv-to-strengthen-us-maritime-power-with-autonomous-unmanned-ships-302538277.html
  2. https://breakingdefense.com/2025/09/maritime-tech-startup-blue-water-autonomy-signs-deal-with-conrad-shipyard-for-usv-production/
  3. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/11/business/blue-water-autonomy-captainless-ships/
  4. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blue-water-autonomy-introduces-liberty-class-a-190-foot-autonomous-ship-for-the-us-navy-302684880.html
  5. https://www.damen.com/insights-center/news/damen-and-blue-water-announce-agreement-for-autonomous-ship-for-the-us-navy

Common questions

What is Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)?
Blue Water Autonomy, an early-stage startup based in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, is building toward a full-sized long-range autonomous ship and is recorded in the maritime form factor at research, pre-deploy maturity, completing the cohort's maturity ladder at its bottom rung. It was founded in 2024 by chief executive Rylan Hamilton, a former US Navy surface warfare officer and early Amazon Robotics leader who co-founded 6 River Systems, alongside Scott Miller, an early iRobot engineer, and Navy veteran Austin Gray, and has raised about $64 million, a $14 million seed in April 2025 plus a $50 million Series A led by GV, and signed a production agreement with Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana in September 2025. Its verified-versus-claimed profile is the load-bearing point: verified are the company's existence, its $64 million in funding, the GV-led Series A, the Conrad production deal, and a credentialed team, while its roughly 190-foot Liberty-class autonomous ship designed to cross the Pacific and operate for months, and a 2026 first deployment, are claimed and unproven, with no fielded vessel and no DARPA or Navy program-of-record contract as of mid-2026, correctly placing it at research and pre-deploy. Several corrections to common priors apply: it was founded in 2024 rather than 2023, with 2023 a possible stealth-inception; its vessel is described by the company at about 190 feet rather than 100 to 150 feet, the framing having grown; the often-cited Sea Machines founder link could not be confirmed, with the verified pedigree being Navy, Amazon Robotics, and iRobot; and the 2026 first deployment is a forward claim rather than a fielded result.
How much does Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) cost?
Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)'s price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) from Blue Water Autonomy. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) actually deployed in the real world?
Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) is at the prototype stage: it exists, but DEPLOY has no verified real-world deployment on record. Manufacturer capability claims should be read as claims pending independent verification.
Who makes Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)?
Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) is made by Blue Water Autonomy, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, founded in 2024.
Can you buy Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class)?
Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) is at prototype stage and is not yet available for sale.
Methodology: Verified · 5 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-16

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-16

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: prototype

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: maritime_surface

Sources by quality tier

4
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class).

Recent coverage

Blue Water autonomous ship (Liberty Class) in third-party press

Blue Water Autonomy unveils Liberty-class USV for the U.S. Navy

Feb 1, 2026