Iconic Robot-Ship launches crowdfunding campaign

Members of the public will be able to see their name etched into history when ambitious plans to build a multi-million pound robot boat to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower out of Plymouth take another step forward tomorrow (Monday 24th October, 2016).

The team behind the Mayflower Autonomous Ship are planning a Crowdfunding launch which will offer, among many other rewards, the chance to put individual names on the side of the ship when it is built.

It will be the 21st Century version of the Mayflower and be able to sail without crew from Plymouth UK to Plymouth, USA in 2020 on the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers' sailing.

Last month organisers received the support of the Ambassador of the United States of America Matthew Barzun at a special reception at the Embassy in London to celebrate the transatlantic relationship. But in order to get the design from blueprint to boatyard, organisers need to raise £300,000 for the crucial next design and development stage which will include robust wave tank scale-model testing.

Everyone is being offered the chance to get their name written into history as ‘new pilgrims' by buying a reward that will literally make their mark on the project. For £20 you can put your name on the boat; for £50 you can put your family's name on it and for £35 you can put two names and a significant date. Larger rewards will include invitations to VIP events, invitations to the launch, exclusive opportunities and other offers.

Supporters such as the Earl of Devon say it will be a project that will engage the States and the UK in a joint venture that could change the maritime world. "The Mayflower Autonomous Ship is an amazing project to be able to get involved with," he says.

"Devon has, probably out of all the counties in England, the most decorated maritime history and to be able to create new technology and be able to do new things in the Ocean from Plymouth is a really exciting prospect. The team that is assembled is creating wholly new technology. It is breaking the bounds of what we can do on the ocean and it is going to create a whole new industry that will allow ships to navigate around the world without human intervention at all and it is a great new step in technology that we are really excited to be involved in."

Commodore Ian Shipperley, ADC Royal Navy and Naval Base Commander Devonport, is a staunch supporter and said: "I am very proud that this exciting and innovative project will start its life in the Port of Plymouth which has been home to the Royal Navy for over 300 years. The Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project will continue the unbroken thread of maritime technology advances in Plymouth from the first ship dock in 1690 to this demonstration of world beating maritime capability; it will be an inspiration to current and future generations of scientists, engineers and maritime professionals. I wish the Mayflower team every success."

Brett Phaneuf, Director of Plymouth-based MSubs and the man who came up with the idea, adds: "We are going to build an Autonomous Ship, the third Mayflower, which is state-of-the-art and it will cross the Atlantic and commemorate that voyage 400 years ago but allow us to usher in a new phase of oceanographic and climatological research with state-of-the-art technology.

"What I find here in Plymouth UK is a huge diversity of talent: engineering scientists, software scientists, a fantastic university, people who - much like the pilgrims - are interested in new beginnings and like to lean forward into new opportunities and so it is a fantastic place to manufacture things, it is a fantastic place to try out new ideas working co-operatively both with the institutions, businesses, military and government agencies here in Plymouth and in the United States give this an unparalleled opportunity to make this project a reality." Brett Phaneuf, Director, M-Subs.

The launch of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship out of Plymouth UK as the flagship of the Mayflower 400 celebrations will cement the city's reputation as a global centre of marine excellence and a marine science hub. It will be the first vessel of its kind to sail without captain or crew across the Atlantic and be able to conduct scientific research around the world.

International sailing hero Pete Goss MBE, himself from Plymouth, has added his support. The adventurer and recipient of the Legion d'Honneur for saving a fellow-racer in the Vendee Globe, built possibly the most technologically advanced catamaran the world has seen, Team Phillips. He said: "This fantastic auto-ship campaign is combining science, technology and marine excellence to make maritime history and creates yet another world-changing project to come out of Plymouth. That it will be the Mayflower 400 flagship makes me proud to support it and I wish the team behind it every success."

The science of the project is so avant-guard that it will be at the forefront of marine technology and could change the way the sea is used. With driverless cars already on the horizon and the air industry using computers to fly planes, MAS could lead the way to changing the way the shipping industry works.

Orion Shuttleworth, who designed the new Mayflower Autonomous Ship, says: "One of the key aims of the project is to cross the Atlantic in 2020 following the route of the original Mayflower that sailed nearly 400 years ago, and this vessel will point the way to the next 400 years of maritime development. "The use of renewable energy systems and extremely efficient hull shapes and engineering will become essential to protect the environment and for ships to be economically viable as fossil fuels become depleted.

"We also hope to show the possibility of using autonomous vessels for ocean research and cargo ships.  With the integration of a highly interactive website the public will be able to fully engage with the vessel, and join it on its journey across the ocean. We hope this will help draw attention to the importance of ocean research and the benefit of autonomous vessels."

When launched, the MAS could be controlled by a computer, or by a captain sitting behind a virtual bridge onshore. It would sail out of Plymouth via remote control and then switch to autonomous control once out at sea. It will be solar powered, with pioneering battery and renewable energy capture, travelling to inhospitable parts of the world to conduct scientific research and collect data. Onboard there will be unmanned aerial vehicles plus life rafts so that it can respond to a distress call from other mariners, and be first on the scene and render assistance.

Among the design team is Professor Bob Stone of the University of Birmingham who is originally from Plymouth himself. The attraction for him of the project is that it is a world-first, never before attempted and could bring to life ideas that at present exist only in peoples' imaginations.

"The MAS concept offers a unique and exciting opportunity for us to show how Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies can be exploited," he says, "not only to develop a highly interactive solution for monitoring and, if necessary, controlling the vessel remotely, but also as a high-tech, immersive technique to help members of the public, schoolchildren, students and researchers engage with the MAS mission, both in 2020 and beyond."

With driverless cars already on the horizon and the air industry using computers to fly planes, MAS could lead the way to changing the way the shipping industry works.

When launched, the MAS could be controlled by a computer, or by a captain sitting behind a virtual bridge onshore. It would sail out of Plymouth via remote control and then switch to autonomous control once out at sea.

It will be solar powered, with cutting edge battery and renewable energy capture, travelling to inhospitable parts of the world to conduct scientific research and collect data. Onboard there will be unmanned aerial vehicles plus life rafts so that it can respond to a distress call from other mariners, and be first on the scene and render assistance.

The MAS will be built in Plymouth and the South West. The team behind the project, a collaboration between Plymouth submarine builder MSubs, Plymouth University and charitable marine research foundation Promare, is looking for suitable locations.

"So far we have the plans, the passion, the potential and now all we need is to get it to production," explains Patrick Dowsett, who spent 30 years in the Royal Navy, including time as a commander, in charge of HMS Northumberland. "It is ground-breaking in so many ways and will put Plymouth on the global map for marine science excellence. We are offering everyone a chance to get involved in this incredible Devon project. This first stage will nail down the planning, the testing, the project development and the modelling to enable us to start the build of the real thing in 2018."

To get your name on this ship please visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk or for more information the Facebook page is MAS400 and Twitter is @MAS_400