The accomplishment comes just 10 years after the first Saildrone USV crossed the Pacific Ocean and confirms Saildrone’s position as the only proven long-range, long-endurance uncrewed platform. On a windy day in October 2013, a small team of engineers and boatbuilders watched the first wind-powered ocean drone disappear over the horizon, bound for Hawaii 2,200 nautical miles away. That journey took 34 days. Fast forward 10 years, and Saildrone’s fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), now 136 strong and scaling rapidly, has sailed 1,042,620 nautical miles and spent 32,438 days at sea—and counting.

Mobile, Ala. – Austal USA introduces Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering.  In this role, he leads a team of over 350 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff. Orlowski directs the management of multiple engineering functions, including structural, mechanical, electrical and systems, integrated logistics support, naval architecture, and program engineering.

Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 made global headlines when it spent 24 hours inside Category 4 Hurricane Sam, delivering the world’s first video footage from inside a major hurricane barreling across the Atlantic Ocean.   As it passed through the eyewall of the storm, SD 1045 measured 109.83 knots (126.4 mph) of wind speed, which has been officially determined to be the “highest wind speed recorded by an uncrewed surface vehicle,” a new entry in the 2024 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.  

GROTON, CT – ThayerMahan, a world leader in providing autonomous maritime surveillance solutions for the defense and offshore wind energy sectors, has announced the promotion of two leaders in recognition of the company’s growth and need for specialization within its two overarching missions of government and commercial contracts.  Richard Hine, a co-founder of ThayerMahan and formerly Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Vice President of the Offshore Energy Group with primary responsibility for all commercial activities, is now President of Offshore Energy. Hine is responsible for delivering safe, innovative, reliable, and efficient offshore energy and commercial solutions.