US Liberty Ships ready to set sail once more – but this time they'll be autonomous

The Second World War saw the creation of Liberty Ships – low-cost and mass-produced vessels built in the US to meet a British requirement for transport ships to replace those that had been lost.

And now they're making a comeback, with the US Navy in mind.

The Pentagon has been exploring ways to navigate around existing acquisition models that struggle to deliver at pace.

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Safeguarding supply chains

The answer was to ask private defence contractors to develop key military technology.

Among those answering the call is Blue Water Autonomy, which has opted to create a 58-metre long autonomous Liberty-class ship.

The company says it's been designed for long-duration operations and repeat production at a pace, something the US Navy urgently needs.

Working with Damen Shipyards Group, the construction of its first Liberty-class ship is about to begin.

It will have a range of more than 10,000 nautical miles and a payload capacity of more than 150 tonnes, and help to safeguard supply chains for military operations.

An impressive back catalogue

It makes use of an existing Axe Bow design developed by Damen to create a rugged wave-piercing ship proven in harsh ocean environments.

This is just the latest venture for a company that's already building autonomous ships for the US Navy and commercial customers.

It has more than 100 hardware products already under its belt, including some of the United States' most complex ships, as well as millions of robots – some now operating on the battlefield in Ukraine.