Crewless Marine
Crewless Marine is a Rhode Island-based startup that develops autonomous underwater acoustic sensing systems — custom hydrophone arrays with edge processing and data fusion software — for uncrewed maritime platforms serving defense, offshore wind, marine mammal monitoring, and maritime security customers. The company was acquired by Vatn Systems in January 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersWarren, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Crewless Marine does
Crewless Marine Acoustics, LLC is a Rhode Island-based, founder-led startup founded in 2024 that provides autonomous underwater acoustic sensing solutions for uncrewed maritime platforms. The company's product portfolio centers on two commercial hydrophone arrays — the CMOne.5.1 multi-hydrophone array (built for autonomy, rigidly attached below an uncrewed platform to eliminate array shape estimation and resolve left-right ambiguity) and the CMOne8.0 eight-hydrophone array system (configurable with or without a towed array manifold) — paired with an integrated software stack comprising on-platform edge processing for acoustic feature extraction and data fusion software for multi-target, multi-sensor tracking. Crewless Marine also offers custom experimental hydrophone array R&D services and consulting/training engagements to support customer integration of advanced acoustics into fully autonomous systems. Field deployments of experimental arrays have taken place in Florida, Narragansett Bay, and Block Island Sound.
The company serves four identified verticals: defense and naval forces (its primary segment, including a U.S. Navy contract for AI-enabled multi-sensor target localization), offshore wind energy (acoustic emissions monitoring and environmental impact studies), marine environmental and conservation (autonomous marine mammal detection, classification, and tracking), and maritime safety and security (acoustic-based detection, classification, and tracking of threat vessels). Crewless Marine monetizes through three streams: commercial hardware sales of CMOne arrays, quote-based professional services for consulting, training, and custom R&D, and government/defense contract revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers engage via direct outreach through a website contact form or email. The co-founders, Steve Bordonaro (Chief Engineer for Systems post-acquisition) and Philip Caspers (Director of Acoustics post-acquisition), bring over 30 years of U.S. Navy acoustic signal processing and torpedo acoustic systems experience.
In January 2026, Crewless Marine was acquired by Vatn Systems — a Rhode Island-based autonomous underwater vehicle developer — for undisclosed financial terms, with the co-founders transitioning into senior technical roles at Vatn. The acquisition vertically integrates Crewless Marine's acoustic sensing, torpedo acoustics, and hydrophone manufacturing capabilities into Vatn's tech stack, with the explicit intent of securing supply chain and accelerating delivery of high-performance, low-cost torpedo solutions for U.S. and allied naval forces. The company had previously been accepted into SeaAhead's BlueSwell ocean-innovation accelerator (5th cohort, October 2024) and presented at the BlueSwell 2025 Demo Day.
Crewless Marine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crewless Marine
- Legal name
- Crewless Marine Acoustics, LLC
- Website
- https://crewlessmarine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Crewless Marine is a Rhode Island-based startup that develops autonomous underwater acoustic sensing systems — custom hydrophone arrays with edge processing and data fusion software — for uncrewed maritime platforms serving defense, offshore wind, marine mammal monitoring, and maritime security customers. The company was acquired by Vatn Systems in January 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crewless Marine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underwater Acoustic Sensing Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330), Ship and Boat Building (3366)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems (IMABAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH)
Keywords
Where Crewless Marine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warren
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Crewless Marine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial product sales: Sale of commercial hydrophone arrays (CMOne.5.1 and CMOne8.0) integrated into customer uncrewed platforms. Customers contact Crewless Marine directly to purchase.
- Consulting and training services: Comprehensive consulting and training services supporting uncrewed systems development, including embedded signal processing, automation solutions, and analysis and display software.
- Custom research and development: Custom R&D engagements to build experimental acoustic arrays tailored to customer data collection needs using custom or off-the-shelf hydrophones, data acquisition, and base-station analysis software.
- Government/defense contracts: Contract revenue from defense customers, notably a U.S. Navy contract for AI-enabled multi-sensor target localization work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Quote-based / Not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Crewless Marine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crewless Marine designs, manufactures, and sells commercial hydrophone arrays (CMOne.5.1 multi-hydrophone array and CMOne8.0 eight-hydrophone array) integrated with on-platform edge processing and data fusion software to enable autonomous underwater acoustic sensing, detection, classification, and tracking on uncrewed maritime platforms. The company also delivers custom experimental hydrophone arrays, embedded signal processing consulting, and training services to defense, offshore wind, marine mammal monitoring, and maritime safety/security customers.
Product overview
Crewless Marine offers a single integrated product line for uncrewed maritime acoustic sensing, anchored by two commercial arrays — the CMOne.5.1 multi-hydrophone array and the CMOne8.0 eight-hydrophone array system — that share a common software stack comprising on-platform edge processing for acoustic feature extraction and data fusion software for multi-target, multi-sensor tracking. These hardware products are complemented by a Custom Experimental Hydrophone Array R&D service (built on the company's data acquisition system and base-station analysis software) and Consulting and Training Services that help customers integrate advanced acoustics into fully autonomous systems. Following the January 2026 acquisition by Vatn Systems, the portfolio is being positioned as a vertically integrated torpedo acoustics and hydrophone manufacturing capability within Vatn's broader autonomous underwater vehicle program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CMOne.5.1: Multi-hydrophone array built for autonomy, rigidly attached below an uncrewed platform to eliminate the need for array shape estimation and resolve left-right ambiguity.
- CMOne8.0
Products and services
- CMOne.5.1 Multi-Hydrophone Array Crewless Marine's first commercial product: a multi-hydrophone array built for autonomy, rigidly attached below an uncrewed platform to eliminate array shape estimation and resolve left-right ambiguity. It serves as the sensing front-end of the company's integrated passive acoustic capability that includes edge processing for feature extraction and data fusion software for multi-target, multi-sensor tracking on uncrewed platforms.
- CMOne8.0 Eight-Hydrophone Array System An eight-hydrophone array system that can be configured with or without a towed array manifold, allowing integration into customer-specified uncrewed platform configurations. It draws on the same passive acoustic edge processing and data fusion pipeline as the CMOne.5.1.
- Custom Experimental Hydrophone Array (R&D Service) Bespoke experimental array offering built around customer data collection requirements. Customers select off-the-shelf or Crewless Marine custom hydrophones in a desired configuration, and the company builds the array using its data acquisition system and base-station analysis software. Field-validated deployments include Florida, Narragansett Bay, and Block Island Sound.
- Consulting and Training Services Comprehensive consulting and training offerings supporting uncrewed systems development, including expert guidance, embedded signal processing and automation solutions, and analysis and display software. Provided alongside the company's hardware products to enable customers to integrate advanced acoustics into fully autonomous systems.
- Integrated Autonomous Passive Acoustic Capability (Edge Processing + Data Fusion Software) The software layer that accompanies Crewless Marine's commercial arrays. Performs edge processing to extract key acoustic features on-platform and runs data fusion software to deliver multi-target, multi-sensor tracking capabilities to uncrewed platforms. Designed to be added to a customer's existing uncrewed platform as an enabling capability.
Quantifiable outcome
- Experimental arrays deployed across three geographies: Florida, Narragansett Bay, and Block Island Sound
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Crewless Marine
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Crewless Marine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Crewless Marine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Vatn SystemsflagshipVatn Systems acquired Crewless Marine to bring torpedo acoustics and hydrophone manufacturing capabilities in-house. The deal secures Vatn's supply chain and accelerates delivery of high-performance, low-cost torpedo solutions for U.S. and allied naval forces. Co-founders Steve Bordonaro and Philip Caspers joined Vatn as chief engineer for systems and director of acoustics respectively.
- U.S. NavycoreCrewless Marine is engaged on a U.S. Navy contract for AI-enabled multi-sensor target localization, working at the intersection of acoustic sensing and AI for undersea warfare applications.
- SeaAhead / New England Aquarium (BlueSwell Program)coreCrewless Marine was accepted into SeaAhead's BlueSwell Program (5th cohort) run in partnership with the New England Aquarium, an ocean innovation accelerator. As part of the cohort, Crewless Marine participated in BlueSwell 2025 Demo Day.
- Unity Environmental UniversityminorCrewless Marine collaborated with a graduate student at Unity Environmental University on his Capstone project related to the acoustic impact of offshore wind, providing domain expertise in underwater acoustic sensing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Crewless Marine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Exail (formerly iXblue): French company providing underwater acoustic positioning, sonar systems, and autonomous marine systems. Direct peer for acoustic sensing integrated into AUV platforms and for serving naval hydrography/defense customers.
- Sonardyne: UK-based underwater acoustic technology company providing acoustic positioning, communications, and sonar systems for AUVs and naval applications. Directly comparable to Crewless Marine's autonomous underwater acoustic sensing stack and AUV integration focus.
- Ocean Sonics: Canadian manufacturer of underwater acoustic recording systems and hydrophones for marine mammal monitoring and underwater noise measurement. Direct peer as a hydrophone specialist serving marine conservation, offshore wind, and defense-adjacent customers.
Broad incumbents
- RTX (Raytheon): U.S. defense prime with substantial undersea warfare systems including sonar and torpedo programs. Broad incumbent comparable to Crewless Marine's U.S. Navy acoustic sensing and torpedo-adjacent work.
- Thales Group: Global defense and naval systems prime with major undersea warfare, sonar, and torpedo programs. Broad incumbent competing for naval acoustic sensing contracts of the type Crewless Marine/Vatn pursues.
- Teledyne Marine: Division of Teledyne Technologies manufacturing underwater acoustic instruments, hydrophones, and oceanographic equipment used in marine monitoring, defense, and offshore applications. Broad incumbent comparable to Crewless Marine's hydrophone array products across civilian and defense segments.
- L3Harris Technologies: U.S. defense contractor with a significant undersea warfare and sonar systems business. Broad incumbent in naval acoustic sensing competing for the same U.S. and allied Navy programs that Vatn/Crewless Marine targets.
- Saab: Swedish defense and naval systems company with torpedo and underwater sensing programs. Broad incumbent in naval acoustic and torpedo systems, directly comparable to Crewless Marine's torpedo acoustics and hydrophone focus.
- Kongsberg Maritime: Norwegian supplier of subsea acoustic systems, sonars, and AUVs for naval and commercial markets. Comparable to Crewless Marine for both the hydrophone/sonar technology base and the autonomous platform integration focus.
- Ultra Maritime: Defense specialist in undersea warfare sensors and sonar systems (formerly Ultra Electronics). Broad incumbent comparable to Crewless Marine's naval acoustic sensing offerings and U.S./allied Navy customer focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Crewless Marine social profiles
Digital presenceCrewless Marine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crewless Marine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Crewless Marine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crewless Marine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Crewless Marine
What does Crewless Marine do?
Crewless Marine designs, manufactures, and sells commercial hydrophone arrays (CMOne.5.1 multi-hydrophone array and CMOne8.0 eight-hydrophone array) integrated with on-platform edge processing and data fusion software to enable autonomous underwater acoustic sensing, detection, classification, and tracking on uncrewed maritime platforms. The company also delivers custom experimental hydrophone arrays, embedded signal processing consulting, and training services to defense, offshore wind, marine mammal monitoring, and maritime safety/security customers.
Is Crewless Marine a public or private company?
Crewless Marine is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Crewless Marine founded?
Crewless Marine was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Crewless Marine based?
Crewless Marine is headquartered in Warren, United States, in the North America region.
How does Crewless Marine make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Commercial product sales are the primary driver. The others are consulting and training services, custom research and development and government/defense contracts.
Who are Crewless Marine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Exail (formerly iXblue), Sonardyne and Ocean Sonics. Broad incumbents are RTX (Raytheon), Thales Group, Teledyne Marine, L3Harris Technologies, Saab, Kongsberg Maritime and Ultra Maritime.
Does Crewless Marine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crewless Marine.
What industry is Crewless Marine in?
Crewless Marine's product category is Underwater Acoustic Sensing Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAGAD, Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems, with a secondary code of HDAAAIAH, Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.