Unmanned Navy ‘drone’ ship scheduled to join LA Fleet Week lineup
A third vessell will visit San Pedro for LA Fleet week, organizers said this week, joining the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Terrell Horne — though this one won’t be open to public tours.
The USS Sea Hunter — an autonomous, unmanned surface vessel that was christened in Portland, Oregon, in April 2016 — is scheduled to be docked near the aircraft carrier in the Outer Harbor. The aircraft carrier arrived on Tuesday afternoon, May 21. The Coast Guard cutter and USS Sea Hunter are tentatively set to arrive on Thursday, May 23.
The 132-foot-long Sea Hunter, which was built by Vigor Industrial, is an anti-submarine warfare and detection ship that’s designed to travel open seas for months at a time. It can also be used for counter-mine duties. The drone ship has several advantages, such as costing less to produce than manned warships and not putting lives at risk if attacked.
The vessel will be berthed near the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier — the area will be accessible only by trolley — while the Coast Guard cutter will be docked and open for tours Friday through Monday, May 24-27, at the Downtown Harbor next to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard.
The Terrell Horne, which was featured at Fleet Week last year as well, is based in San Pedro. The fast response cutters are replacing the 110-foot, 1980s-era Island-class patrol boats and are designed for multiple missions, including drug and migrant interdictions; port, waterway and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The cutters feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, the cutter’s namesake, served as executive petty officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut. He was killed while conducting maritime law enforcement operations near Santa Cruz Island on Dec. 2, 2012.