What Blue Water Autonomy does

Blue Water Autonomy, Inc. is a Boston-based maritime autonomy company founded in spring 2024 that designs, builds, and ships large unmanned surface vessels for the U.S. Navy. Its core product is the Liberty Class Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) — a 190-foot, 770-ton steel-hulled ship with Level 4 navigation and engine-room autonomy, 10,000 nautical mile range, 25-knot speed, and 150+ metric ton payload capacity across four 40-foot container bays, designed to endure 2-3 month missions including independent Pacific transits. The autonomy stack is developed in-house on a full-stack Level 4 platform with containerized modular engine rooms, a bridge-less sensor mast ingesting multiple HD video streams, GPU-based onboard compute, and proprietary propulsion that has surpassed 1,000 hours of ocean-based testing on the company's Ironsides 100-foot test vessel. The Liberty Class is built on a Damen-licensed Axe Bow hull (Stan Patrol 6009) and assembled under a production agreement with Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana, supported by a multi-partner manufacturing network that pairs AI-enabled manufacturing execution (Tulip) with marine engines (Caterpillar Defense), containerized engine modules (Precise Power Systems), and automation systems (Valstad).

Blue Water Autonomy monetizes through government/defense hardware sales under contract-based procurement, targeting the U.S. Navy's $6B+ Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program — currently a single-customer concentration with the Navy. The company has active lobbying on FY2026 NDAA provisions and the 2026 Reconciliation Act's $5B allocation for 36 MUSV purchases. Pricing follows typical defense procurement mechanics (Navy prototype awards of $15 million per selected shipbuilder with eligibility for follow-on production) and is not publicly disclosed. A future commercial maritime expansion (cargo, offshore energy, fishing) is publicly described but not yet revenue-relevant. The company has raised $64 million in venture funding across an April 2025 seed and an August 2025 Series A led by GV (Google Ventures), with Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures participating in both rounds. As of mid-2026 Blue Water Autonomy remains pre-revenue with first Liberty Class delivery scheduled later in 2026.

Name

Blue Water Autonomy

Legal name

Blue Water Autonomy, Inc.

Website

https://blw.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Water Autonomy, founded in 2024 in Boston, designs and builds Level 4 autonomous surface warships (Liberty Class, 190 ft, 10,000 nm range) for the U.S. Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program using a Damen-licensed hull, Conrad Shipyard production, and an in-house full-stack autonomy suite.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Naval Vessels

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Unmanned Naval Vessels (USV/UUV) (IMAJABAH)

Keywords

• Autonomous surface vessels
• Unmanned naval ships
• Maritime autonomy software
• Naval shipbuilding systems
• Defense autonomous warships

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. U.S. Navy vessel contracts (hardware sales): Sale of autonomous naval vessels to the U.S. Navy under a program of record. The first Liberty Class vessel is expected for delivery later in 2026, with planned serial production of 10-20 vessels per year. Privately funded approach for a full-sized Navy ship is unprecedented.
2. U.S. Navy program of record / federal procurement: Represents the transition from R&D to real-world scale production, leveraging Conrad Shipyard's automated facilities to enable parallel builds and scalable throughput for the U.S. Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSV) program, which has over $6 billion in funding.
3. Future commercial maritime expansion: Planned expansion into commercial maritime markets beyond defense, including cargo, offshore energy, and fishing sectors, once the technology is deployed at scale and lower cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Blue Water Autonomy designs, engineers, and builds long-endurance autonomous naval warships — specifically the Liberty Class Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) — for the U.S. Navy under a program of record. The company integrates a full-stack Level 4 autonomy and Marine AI suite, a containerized modular engine room, and a Damen Axe Bow hull design to deliver a 190-foot steel warship capable of 10,000+ nm range, 2-3 month autonomous missions, and 150+ metric ton payload capacity. Production is delivered through an asset-light, multi-partner distributed manufacturing model at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana, targeting 10-20 vessels per year.

Product overview

Blue Water Autonomy offers a single unified autonomous-naval-vessel platform centered on the Liberty Class Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel, supported upstream by the Ironsides autonomous test vessel that validates the containerized engine-room and navigation-autonomy architecture feeding into Liberty Class production. The company operates a multi-partner distributed manufacturing model — combining AI-enabled manufacturing execution systems from Tulip, marine diesel engines from Caterpillar Defense, containerized engine modules from Precise Power Systems, and manufacturing automation from Valstad — to assemble the Liberty Class at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana using a Damen-licensed Axe Bow hull. Ironsides is the iterative test bed; Liberty Class is the production product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberty Class: Blue Water Autonomy's named product line of large autonomous surface vessels designed for the U.S. Navy.

Products and services

• Liberty Class Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) A 57.75 m (190-foot) Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel built from ABS Grade A steel with a 770-ton displacement, 25-knot speed, 10,000+ nm range, 150+ metric ton payload capacity across four 40-foot FEUs, and integrated Level 4 Autonomy with Marine AI enabling 2-3 month autonomous missions and independent trans-Pacific voyages. Designed for the U.S. Navy to host missile, sensor, ISR, and logistics payloads. Constructed at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana using a Damen-licensed Axe Bow hull.

Quantifiable outcome

• Targeted production rate of 10-20 vessels per year, vs 1-2 hulls per year for conventional Western naval shipyards
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Tulip (Tulip Interfaces)coreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Tulip provides AI-driven manufacturing execution systems for Blue Water's software-defined production model, enabling integration of AI-enabled manufacturing with proven marine industrial capacity across the distributed manufacturing network.
• Caterpillar DefensecoreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Caterpillar Defense provides marine diesel engines for Blue Water's autonomous vessels. Integrated as part of the multi-partner manufacturing model supporting serial production of Liberty Class vessels at Conrad Shipyard.
• Precise Power SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Precise Power Systems (Michigan-based) provides containerized engine modules and automated engine room modules for Blue Water's autonomous vessels. Their modules were integrated into Blue Water's 165-ton autonomous test vessel (Ironsides) in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The company is now building shipboard modules for Blue Water's prototype autonomous vessel, supporting the transition from testing to repeatable, mission-ready production. Precise Power previously supported DARPA's NOMARS autonomous ship program.
• Valstad (Valstad Shipworks)coreTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026Valstad provides manufacturing automation systems / automation technologies for Blue Water's distributed manufacturing model, supporting the production of Liberty Class vessels. (Note: also referred to as 'Valsted' in some sources.)
• Damen Shipyards GroupflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 February 2026Damen Shipyards Group signed a licence agreement with Blue Water Autonomy to support construction of the 60-metre autonomous Liberty Class vessel for the U.S. Navy. The vessel is designed using Damen's proven Axe Bow hull (Stan Patrol 6009). The licence enables Blue Water to build the vessel at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana, with the first steel ship scheduled to begin construction in March 2026 and expected for completion later that year. The Liberty Class is designed for long-duration, unmanned operations offering over 10,000 nautical miles range and 150+ tonnes payload capacity.
• Conrad ShipyardflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025Production agreement with Conrad Shipyard, a Louisiana-based Gulf Coast shipbuilder, to assemble Blue Water's first class of autonomous surface vessels for the U.S. Navy. Conrad operates five Gulf Coast shipbuilding facilities with capacity to build 30+ vessels annually. The partnership follows Blue Water's Series A funding and marks its transition from R&D to real-world scale production, leveraging Conrad's automated shipbuilding facilities to enable parallel builds and scalable throughput. Construction of the 190-foot Liberty Class vessel began in March 2026.
• Tom Anderson (Rear Admiral, ret.)coreOthersAdvisory Board member. RADM (ret.) Tom Anderson most recently served as the Navy's Program Executive Officer for Ships, where he oversaw the acquisition and delivery of surface combatants, amphibious ships, logistics support vessels, and more. His leadership at NAVSEA included multiple roles in design, maintenance, and modernization across 30+ ship programs.
• Roy Kitchener (Vice Admiral, ret.)coreOthersAdvisory Board member. VADM (ret.) Roy Kitchener served 39 years in the Navy, deployed and served around the world, commanded destroyers, a cruiser, and an expeditionary strike group. His last assignment on active duty was as commander, Naval Surface Forces/Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet – 'the SWO Boss'.
• Michael StewartcoreOthersAdvisory Board member. Michael Stewart, former Director of the Navy's Disruptive Capabilities Office, led rapid deployment of emerging technologies to address operational challenges. He served as Executive Director of the Unmanned Task Force, held senior roles at NATO, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and The Boeing Company, and is a retired Navy Captain and Naval Aviator with an MBA from Harvard Business School.
• Stephen RodriguezcoreOthersAdvisory Board member. Stephen Rodriguez is a leading voice in dual-use technology adoption and national security investment. He is currently Chairman of Blue Forge Alliance (a key Navy partner focused on maritime industrial base revitalization), chairs Booz Allen Hamilton's Defense Technology Board, works with dual-use startups through One Defense, and is an Operating Partner at DCVC focused on defense investing. He serves as a Board Advisor or Director to 15 companies including several in the maritime industrial base.
• Tim GlinatsiscoreOthersAdvisory Board member (and COO). Tim spent more than 20 years with General Dynamics, having joined NASSCO as a management trainee immediately after graduate school. He worked in teams across the shipbuilding value stream — including positions in Manufacturing, Engineering, IT, Process Improvement, and Program Management, at both NASSCO and Bath Iron Works shipyards. His work included key contributions on the Lewis & Clark-class Dry Cargo/Ammunition (T-AKE), the Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB), the Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG-51), the Zumwalt-class Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG-1000), the John Lewis-class Replenishment Oiler (T-AO 205), and numerous commercial programs. Tim is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and has a graduate degree from MIT.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Saildrone: Saildrone builds wind- and solar-powered autonomous uncrewed surface vessels for ocean data collection and defense applications, including U.S. Navy ISR missions. It is the closest direct competitor to Blue Water Autonomy in the autonomous surface vessel space, although its vessels are smaller and wind-propelled versus Blue Water's larger steel warships.
• Sea Machines Robotics: Sea Machines Robotics develops autonomous control and perception systems for commercial and government marine vessels, including USVs for the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense. Like Blue Water, it targets marine autonomy for defense and commercial maritime and competes for similar autonomous surface vessel procurement programs.
• Ocean Infinity: Ocean Infinity operates the world's largest fleet of autonomous robotic vessels for ocean data and survey work, including the unmanned surface vessel 'Armada' fleet. It is a direct peer in the autonomous surface vessel category, focused on commercial and government maritime autonomy at scale.

Broad incumbents

• Huntington Ingalls Industries: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest U.S. military shipbuilder and a primary incumbent on Navy surface combatant and unmanned vessel programs. HII competes directly with Blue Water for MUSV follow-on awards, offering decades of Navy program-of-record execution, classified-facility access, and serial production scale that Blue Water is attempting to disrupt.
• General Dynamics (Bath Iron Works / NASSCO): General Dynamics operates Bath Iron Works and NASSCO, two of the most important U.S. Navy surface shipyards, and is the employer of Blue Water's COO Tim Glinatsis. It is the dominant incumbent in Navy surface combatant construction (DDG-51, DDG-1000) and a likely MUSV competitor, representing both a competitor and a talent source for Blue Water.
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a major defense prime with significant unmanned maritime and integrated mission systems capabilities, supplying the U.S. Navy with autonomous and remotely operated vessel payloads. As a broad incumbent, L3Harris competes with Blue Water both as a potential prime integrator and as a payload/sensor provider for Navy USV programs.
• Textron Systems: Textron Systems builds unmanned surface vessels (including the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle, CUSV) for the U.S. Navy and other defense customers. As an incumbent defense contractor with a serial-production USV line, Textron is a relevant competitor in the same Navy autonomous surface vessel procurement category.

Emerging players

• ThayerMahan: ThayerMahan provides autonomous maritime surveillance solutions for the U.S. Navy and allied governments, including unmanned systems for persistent ISR. It is an emerging defense-tech peer in autonomous maritime domain awareness, overlapping with Blue Water's ISR and persistent ocean surveillance mission profiles.
• Anduril Industries: Anduril Industries is a leading venture-backed defense technology company that has expanded into maritime autonomy, including unmanned surface vessel programs for the U.S. Navy. Like Blue Water, it is a software-defined, capital-efficient defense-tech company with ambitions to disrupt traditional primes, making it a comparable emerging peer despite its broader portfolio.
• Spatial Integrated Systems (SIS): Spatial Integrated Systems builds autonomous unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense, with prior contracts on Navy USV programs. It is an emerging player in the same autonomous surface vessel procurement category that Blue Water targets, competing for similar Navy program dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlueWaterShips
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-water-autonomy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Water Autonomy