The Navy will create a second unmanned surface vessel squadron in San Diego in May, reflecting the service’s rapidly growing interest in various types of so-called “ghost ships.”
Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, announced the expansion Thursday in San Diego, during an appearance at the West 2024 naval conference.
“Don’t send a human being to do something dangerous that a machine can do better, faster and more cheaply,” he told conferees, Defense News reported. “Ensure that you have the means of control.”
The Navy is developing and beginning to deploy a variety of unmanned surface vessels, or USVs. The drones are considered to be a comparatively inexpensive platform for doing surveillance and reconnaissance at sea. The Navy also is developing ways to weaponize the vessels.
Two years ago, Naval Base San Diego established a squadron composed of medium-size USVs, featuring ships like Sea Hunter, which is 132-foot long. It was among the drones that deployed to the Pacific last year.
The new squadron that will be established in San Diego will focus on small USVs, some of which will be roughly the size of a sports car, the Navy said.
Bad info: Several media outlets reported Thursday that the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had left on deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The Navy told the San Diego Union-Tribune late Thursday that the reports are incorrect and that the ship is operating off Southern California.
Two other San Diego-based carriers, USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt, are currently operating in the Indo-Pacific.
