End to Operation of Legacy Platform?

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In a first, the Royal Navy is reassigning an experienced crew from a Mine Countermeasures Squadron, and putting them in charge of autonomous minehunting boats. It may well be the first time that a permanent crew from a conventional warship (or possibly any ship) fully transitions to autonomous, unmanned operation.

The squadron’s crew has completed multiple tours of duty in the Middle East, operating from Bahrain; at retirement, they will be gradually replaced by autonomous boats from the UK’s Project Wilton.

According to maritime-executive.com, the vessels are set up for manned, remote control or autonomous capability, and one of them is a bit larger to accommodate a mobile command-and-control cabin, which the team can use to manage the other two boats while at sea. All three boats can be controlled from shore, if needed. 

In transitioning to autonomous operations for minehunting, the Royal Navy’s objective is not only to cut expenses, but to take the crew out of the danger zone in a notoriously hazardous business. The three unmanned platforms can detect and classify mines and UXO while operating at speed, without putting sailors and large assets at risk.