Crewless robotic Mayflower ship nears Plymouth Rock

→ Urgent Nvidia Warning (From Altimetry) (Ad)

Brett Phaneuf, co-director of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project, flashes a thumb up after greeting the Mayflower Autonomous Ship , Thursday, June 30, 2022, off the coast of Plymouth, Mass., after a crew-less journey from Plymouth, England. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A crewless robotic boat retracing the 1620 sea voyage of the Mayflower is set to land near Plymouth Rock.

The sleek Mayflower Autonomous Ship met with an escort boat as it approached the Massachusetts shoreline Thursday, more than 400 years after its namesake's historic voyage from England.

Piloted by artificial intelligence technology, the 50-foot (15-meter) trimaran didn’t have a captain, navigator or any humans on board.

The ship's first attempt to cross the Atlantic in 2021 was beset with technical problems, forcing it to return to its home port of Plymouth, England.

It set off from the English coast again in April but mechanical difficulties forced it to divert twice: first to Portugal's Azores islands and then to Canada. On Monday, it departed Halifax, Nova Scotia bound for Plymouth Harbor in Massachusetts, where it's scheduled to dock later Thursday near a replica of the original Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims to America.

Nonprofit marine research organization ProMare worked with IBM to build the ship and has been using it to collect data about whales, microplastics pollution and for other scientific research. Small autonomous experimental vessels have crossed the Atlantic before but researchers describe it as the first ship of its size to do so.

Should you invest $1,000 in International Business Machines right now?

Before you consider International Business Machines, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and International Business Machines wasn't on the list.

While International Business Machines currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

Elon Musk's Next Move Cover

Wondering when you'll finally be able to invest in SpaceX, StarLink, or The Boring Company? Click the link below to learn when Elon Musk will let these companies finally IPO.

Get This Free Report

Featured Articles and Offers

Beyond Nvidia: Hidden AI Picks with Marc Chaikin

Beyond Nvidia: Hidden AI Picks with Marc Chaikin

Marc Chaikin shares insights on AI investing: uncovering picks outside of Nvidia, avoiding pitfalls, and how to make strategic moves.

Search Headlines: