27 and stability of 1-2 m, jack-of-all-trades monohulls when monitoring in open ocean conditions. This motivated him and several others (including his brother, Mike) to start researching beyond the small, traditional boat designs in order to engineer a USV capable of taking over from crewed survey ships. Through this research, they happened upon the small waterplane area, twin-hull (SWATH) vessel configuration, which held immense promise for creating the new, novel and fit-for-purpose kind of USV they all longed to build – one not only able to survive in open ocean conditions, but able to continue functioning normally with on-time collection and delivery of high-quality data, even amid the harsh waves and weather of severe sea states. SWATH vessels achieve this by minimising their hull cross-section at surface level, where waves have the greatest impact, and maximising it below surface, where wave excitation drops exponentially. Those well-versed with UUVs and crewed submarines will know that such vehicles are minimally affected by wave action, so if one pictures a catamaran with each of its twin hulls riding atop a bulbous submarine, one is more or less picturing a SWATH vessel. As Mike, now COO of ACUA Ocean, tells us: “Back then, I was an innovation mentor across several uniformed programmes and fellowships in the UK MoD, but I had really wanted to get into the world of autonomy, thanks to years spent in conversation about it, so I founded ACUA Ocean in November 2020. I convinced Neil [now CEO] to join me in summer 2021, bringing with him his knowledge, his background and his network for autonomy related industries. “We then began working with John Kecsmar and his team at Ad Hoc Marine Designs, who are basically the global leaders in SWATH vessel engineering. We’ve also worked with the University of Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and the Wolfson Unit, which was a great partner for technical analyses, simulations, wave-tank tests and the like.” Just as certification is crucial for serious UAV and UGV manufacturers, ACUA Ocean has focused on working with MCA, Lloyd’s Register and other regulating bodies to build its USVs to class and code, and achieve certifiable vessels that are highly functional in open ocean conditions. Broadly, ACUA Ocean calls its products “H-USVs” (hydrogen USVs) out of a dedication to net-zero operations as strong as its emphasis on regulatory approval. Such approval is expected in Q2 2025, following completion of sea trials and demonstrations of its inaugural H-USV, the USV Pioneer. First in a line of aluminium-built, Pioneer-class H-USVs, the 14.2 m-long USV Pioneer displaces up to 25.7 t. It has a 3.7 m-high hull (with a 1.6 m draft, and an 8.1 m total height if the stern electronics mast is included), as well as a 9 m beam. The vessel’s buoyancy comes from two torpedo-shaped pontoons (‘demi-hulls’), with four lengthy struts at the outermost corners that run upwards to support a body consisting of two longitudinal beams and two transverse beams. These are arranged around a 6.5 m by 3.8 m moon pool, designed with two longitudinally-running mounting booms to accommodate either a standard 20 ft container or two 10 ft ones. ACUA Ocean Pioneer-class H-USV | Dossier Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2025 Ad Hoc Marine Designs and the University of Southampton have contributed to developing Pioneer as a USV that can match crewed survey vessels in open ocean conditions
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