Unmanned roboship to follow Mayflower

LONDON: It is a route that first brought the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth in 1620. Now, the route of the Mayflower is set to be followed again – by an autonomous high-tech ship.

Called the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS), the unmanned vessel runs entirely on renewable energy, and will sail on the 400th anniversary of the pilgrims’ voyage from England to America.

Researchers have revived the Mayflower for another journey across the Atlantic, but its design has a modern twist.

The MAS is set to sail in 2020 and take the same route as in 1620. It will launch drones to gather meteorological, oceanographic and climate data, with the hopes of gaining knowledge about the current condition of the ocean. The team will also perform research on renewable energy and propulsion systems for marine vessels.

They will also be looking at data-harvesting issues – how to know when something is significant enough to alert mission control in Plymouth (UK) and Plymouth (US).

The ship is more than 30m long and will reach speeds of 12.5 knots with the electric motor and 20 knots with sails, basically 37km/h in not very windy conditions.

It will also launch drones to gather meteorological, oceanographic and climate data.

MAS is being developed by a partnership of the University of Plymouth, autonomous craft specialists MSubs, and public charity Promare which promotes marine research and exploration throughout the world.

However, the ship is still a concept and researchers note it will take two-and-ahalf years to build, following a year’s worth of testing before it is ready to sail the open ocean. The sail date will mark the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

“Our approach to developing the concept was to fully explore and take advantage of the opportunities that arise from not having to carry crew, and to create a vessel that is capable of using only renewable energy,” John Shuttleworth, who runs Shuttleworth Design with his brother Orion, said.

“Working within the limitations of renewable energy sources has given a clear direction to the developing form of the vessel.”

The vessel is intended to house one or more modular payload bays, much like a Space Shuttle, into which a diverse range of mission equipment will be fitted to support the various research tasks. – Daily Mail