Mayflower 400 arrives - in tow

 In  what has been described as a "Sputnik moment: an autonomous ship has finally made it across the Atlantic - even though the last leg was in tow. The Mayflower 400 (Mayflower Autonomous Ship = MAS 400) arrived in Halifax today, June 5.

The 15m x 6m trimaran was to make its crossing in 2020, in commemoration of the Mayflower of 1620 carrying 102 passengers and about 30 crew from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, MA. Unlike that 10 week voyage, this was to be completely autonomous, using software instead of crew. The planned 2020 trip was cancelled due to COVID. A 2021 try was scrubbed after 3 days due to mechanical glitches.

The 2022 trip started in Plymouth, England on April 27, but the boat had to put into Horta, Azores for technical adjustments. It departed there on May 20, but on May 28-29 there was a problem with a charger and it was decided to hdivert to Halifax using back-up systems. 

Dominion Diving sent their Dominion Victory to fetch the craft, and towed it in to Dartmouth Cove arriving this morning.

The Mayflower 400 is powered by electricity, generated by a diesel engine, or collected by solar panels and stored in batteries. It also has "edge devices" that generate enough power to run the onboard computers. The cutting edge software is in fact the "captain" and makes navigation decisions and directs the vessel without intervention or remote control from shore.

The boat is also equipped with cameras and communication devices. Aside from testing autonomous operation it is also fitted out for research. It carries 700 kg of scientific equipment and can take water samples for onboard analyis and store them for delivery to shoreside labs. The long duration voyages without the cost of crew will permit a greater breadth of research that has been possible.

Its non-profit operators ProMare have partnered with IBM and other tech companies to develop the operating systems, and they maintain an interesting website:  https://mas400.com/

In viewof the numerous spectacular failures in the early days of rocket and satellite science, this trip has probably moved the Autonomous Ship sector well ahead. There are several other full size autonomous ships now operating or planned. They often have small tech crew or require direction from shore, so the Mayflower 400 is certainly a breakthrough even though its sucess may be limited for now. 

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Coast Guard veteran on the move

The former CCGS Tupper will be on the move tomorrow. The veteran, long retired from active duty, has lying at the former Dartmouth Marine Slip LongWharf for more than five years. A new residential development at the former shipyard site has forced the ship out.

1. Dominon Victory, in the foreground, ready to tow the boarded up and gutted out former Tupper, tomorrow morning.

2. Not her finest moment. CFAV Firebird at work to put out the blaze. She was officially named Caruso, but still had 1998-05 on her bow.

3. CCGS Tupper in her heyday, doing an easy job breaking spring ice in the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour. Her Fairbanks Morses are just singing.

Built in 1959 by Marine Industries Ltd of Sorel, Tupper was one of a pair (the other was Simon Fraser, built by Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver.) It worked from Dartmouth and Charlottetown as a buoy tender and light icebreaker. A diesel electric vessel, she was powered by two 8 cyl Fairbanks Morse (built by Canadian Locomotive Works) totalling 3280 bhp, through two 1150kW generators connected to two electric motors totalling 2900 shp, giving 13 1/2 knots.

With accommodation for 38 crew, including helicopter pilots and mechanics, the ship was a classic Canadian Coast Guard vessel of the era.

The ship was laid up May 5, 1996 and in 1998 was renamed 1998-05 prior to her sale, which was accomplished in April 2000. Her new owners had the intention of converting Tupper and Simon Fraser to expedition tour/ yachts, but the project stalled during the rebuilding of Simon Fraser in Italy.

The only thing that happened to Tupper was to be renamed Caruso and registered in Panama. That name has never appeared in paint however, and she is still referred to as Tupper.

Caruso started moving around Halifax harbour, always in tow, and eventually on July 5, 2005 was towed by Atlantic Oak to Sheet Harbour when her space at the IEL dock was needed by Irving Shipbuilding. The same tug towed her back to Halifax in December 19, 2005 and she has sat at the Long Wharf ever since.

On October 11, 2008 a fire broke out on board, and it was eventually extinguished by land units and CFAV Firebird. I expect that the interior is now completely gutted.

The poor old ship must be on her last legs by now, and it will be sad to see her go. (I expect she is on her way back to Sheet Harbour, but that is to be confirmed.)

Update: Not Sheet Harbour, but an unnamed port on the Eastern Shore, to be broken up for scrap.

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