Naming ceremony for The Lady of the Lake marks the latest milestone in ZeroUSV’s development of next-generation autonomous vessels
ZeroUSV has unveiled the first vessel in its new Oceanus17 class of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), The Lady of the Lake, marking the latest development in the UK’s growing autonomous maritime sector.
Designed for resilient, enduring and multi-tasking operations, the Oceanus17 is intended to support extended maritime missions while delivering the flexibility required for a wide range of autonomous applications.
Officially named at a ceremony held during Plymouth’s British National Firework Championships, by Rebecca Smith MP, the naming draws on the Arthurian tradition, following the maritime autonomy heritage established by MSubs’ recent delivery of HMS Excalibur to the Royal Navy.
Matthew Ratsey, Managing Director of ZeroUSV, said: “Today is a celebration of ZeroUSV, demonstrating to the wider world what delivering cutting edge British technology and innovation at pace really means. Just over one year ago we launched the first of our Oceanus12 USV’s, and today, with the first Oceanus17 USV officially named, we’ve demonstrated our ability to design, build, and deliver successive generations of world-class autonomous vessels in just over six months.
“The Oceanus17 class represent a significant step up in British autonomous USV capability – with very large payload capacity of 4,000kg, mission endurance in excess of 50 days, a top speed approaching 15 knots, whilst still retaining the Oceanus class DNA allowing fast mobilisation to any corner of the globe quickly and easily. “
“Delivering the Oceanus17 proves ZeroUSV’s commitment to British maritime innovation, further enhancing the UK’s sovereign capability to produce advanced USVs, and continues to strengthen Plymouth’s position and reputation as both a National and International centre for maritime autonomy.”
Built at Manor Marine‘s shipyard in Portland, Oceanus17 represents the next evolution in ZeroUSV’s proven Oceanus class family.
The vessel builds on the engineering success of the Oceanus12, providing extended endurance of over 50 days per mission, and a 20-foot ISO-compatible payload bay with 30 kw of dedicated payload power.
Rebecca Smith MP said: “The Oceanus 17, the Lady of the Lake, is a remarkable achievement by British innovators. Her ability to operate independently, endure extended missions, and perform multiple roles across the maritime domains embody the qualities we need in our defence, and commercial maritime capabilities.
“ZeroUSV’s progress in delivering world-class autonomous vessels demonstrates the potential of the UK’s marine autonomy sector in Plymouth, and why we must continue to champion, cut unnecessary red tape and invest in this critical technology.
The fully autonomous vessel incorporates level-four autonomous navigation, delivered by MarineAI’s GuardianAI autonomy stack, while dual-redundant engineering systems eliminate single points of failure
This provides the Oceanus17 with the resilience necessary for persistent, over-the-horizon operations in the most challenging of maritime environments.
There is no standing still, as in the next week this first of class Oceanus17 will be mobilised for deployment to Portugal, representing Britian and the Royal Navy for NATO Exercise REPMUS for the entire month of September.
