U.S. Navy Unmanned Vessel Reportedly Capsized Support Boat After Receiving Inadvertent Command
During U.S. Navy testing at Channel Islands Harbor Marina on June 23, 2025, an unmanned vessel under tow reportedly received an inadvertent command and accelerated, capsizing the support boat and throwing its captain into the water. Emergency responders reportedly recovered the captain, who declined medical attention. The incident was reportedly attributed to software failures and human error, including communication breakdowns between onboard systems and external autonomy software.
- Date it happened
- 2025-06-23
- Organisation involved
- United States Navy, United States Armed Forces, Naval forces, Military organizations, Military autonomous systems operators
- Product, system or model
- Unmanned surface vessels, Onboard vessel control systems, Military autonomous systems, BlackSea Technologies autonomous vessel, Autonomous maritime systems, Autonomous command-and-control software
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