Old Dominion University and the City of Norfolk, in concert with industry partners, celebrated the beginning of a new era in uncrewed maritime systems with the Maritime Autonomous Systems Test Site (MASTS) at Willoughby Boat Ramp in Norfolk.

The test site is the result of several years of work between the City of Norfolk, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and ODU leadership to secure funding for the development of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and make the city a hub of technology.  

The test site will provide hands-on experience for students and researchers to accelerate the development of maritime autonomy technologies.

The test site will facilitate testing, calibration and data collection for research projects, providing a consistent and central location for that work. The University’s 18-foot research vessel, The Mayflower, will be moored at Willoughby Spit to carry research operators. It will serve as a “chase boat” for all shapes and sizes of unmanned prototypes and watercraft, like the remote-controlled Blue Boat, a 3-foot-wide unmanned vessel used for data collection.