Marauder to Strengthen US Maritime Protection and Defense: Lesson for the Baltic Sea Region

By Marek Grzybowski

A new chapter is emerging in maritime defense strategy and tactics. The U.S. Navy’s AUV pipeline is accelerating as Saronic acquires Gulf Craft Shipyard, expanding production capabilities. The vessels can be used to defend maritime perimeters, track ships, and protect critical infrastructure.

Saronic’s production capabilities will be significantly expanded with the acquisition of Gulf Craft, a Louisiana-based shipyard with a 60-year history of designing manned and unmanned vessels for defense and commercial customers.

With the acquisition of the Louisiana shipyard, Saronic gains a strategically located facility on the Gulf Coast that will serve as a center for prototyping and manufacturing medium-sized unmanned surface vessels (MUSVs). The pilot vessel is currently the Marauder, a 150-foot (45-meter) autonomous surface vessel (ASV).

Marauder Supports U.S. Hybrid Fleet Development
The Marauder is designed to perform a wide range of missions to protect and defend waters of the United States and its allies, as well as to perform missions for commercial customers. With a payload of 40 tons, the autonomous vessel can perform missions up to 3,500 nautical miles. It is designed to operate autonomously for more than 30 days, depending on mission requirements. Saronic says that “Marauder provides comprehensive capabilities at a fraction of the cost of legacy solutions and patrol and crewed vessels.”

The 60-year experience of Gulf Craft engineers and crews in manufacturing manned and unmanned vessels for commercial and defense applications will be particularly useful in series production. Experienced workers are essential to quickly ramp up large-scale production. Saronic also gains the necessary infrastructure through the acquisition of the Louisiana shipyard.
“Today is a significant milestone in Saronic’s expansion into autonomous shipbuilding and lays the foundation for our vision of a larger, next-generation shipyard, Port Alpha,” said Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas. He emphasized in the merger announcement: “We don’t wait—we build the ships our customers need, when they need them. While we were actively looking to house Port Alpha, this acquisition gives us the immediate ability to meet our customers’ urgent needs for larger autonomous ships and the flexibility to scale to address new commercial and defense applications for these advanced systems.”

Three Saronic ASV Models
Saronic currently offers three ASV models, which are equipped with the appropriate software and artificial intelligence. Spyglass is a 6-foot (1.8 m) ship with a range of 30 nautical miles. It is equipped with advanced sensors and a payload capacity (over 20 kg). It is designed for tactical use with an operational speed of 20 knots. It can operate independently or in cooperative swarms, the designer explains.

Cutlass is 14 feet (over 4 m) long. The ship is designed to cover significant distances (approximately 300 nautical miles) with an increased payload capacity (over 100 kg). Saronic says it is “intended for the Joint Force to perform critical missions, including deploying loitering munitions, connecting communication nodes in adaptive C2 networks, and identifying, classifying, and tracking other surface vessels.”

Corsair is 24 feet (7.3 m). The ship was built to meet the critical operational requirements of coastal defense forces and navies. The Corsair has a range of about 1,000 nautical miles. It is the largest ASV in the Saronic family. It can reach speeds of over 35 knots. Its space allows it to carry about 600 kg of payload.

It features an open modular architecture that allows for the rapid integration of different payloads, sensors and systems, autonomous capabilities to respond to or deter threats, and the ability to be rapidly manufactured at scale, the company said.

Port Alpha – Next-Generation Shipyard
The Austin-based company plans to build a next-generation shipyard capable of delivering new classes of unmanned vessels, Saronic executives say. These vessels will operate at high speeds and at scale needed to protect and defend offshore areas. Saronic Technologies’ plan to build Port Alpha recently accelerated with $600 million in funding.

The Series C funding round is expected to accelerate the company’s growth. Its goal is to contribute to the development of the United States’ defense capabilities. In the oceans and littoral areas, it is about building maritime superiority for the United States and its allies. The company says Port Alpha, a production facility for large and medium-sized unmanned surface vehicles, will enable the expansion of Saronic’s fleet of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) with medium and large autonomous vessels for defense applications.

“A fundamental principle of Saronic is that we design our ships to be autonomous from the keel to the deck. We are taking the same approach to building Port Alpha, designing a shipyard from the ground up,” explains Dino Mavrookas, CEO and co-founder of Saronic, noting that the idea is “to produce at a speed and scale not seen since World War II.” Port Alpha is designed to generate new opportunities for the shipbuilding workforce in the United States. Its strength will be public-private partnerships to accelerate the growth of production capacity, as well as innovation and new technologies, which are essential to the development of the industry.

Saronic to Strengthen US Maritime Defense
Saronic claims that its solutions fill gaps in the US maritime defense capabilities. The construction of autonomous ships will enable the creation and expansion of a hybrid fleet of the US military.
“We will combine these elements with one goal: to quickly build a fleet of autonomous ships in America that will redefine the maritime advantage of the United States and ensure freedom of the seas for generations to come,” Mavrookas added. The company also emphasized that the US Navy has announced the need to build a hybrid fleet – one that integrates a significant number of unmanned systems operating alongside manned platforms in its operations.

Achieving this goal will require a transformation in the approach companies take to building high-tech ships and a focus on scaling the production of advanced technologies and autonomous systems. The idea is to extend the operational range of the fleet, deter conflicts, protect sailors and critical infrastructure.
Therefore, vessels for such tasks must “be produced quickly at low cost,” Saronic management argues. The latest round of investor offerings quadrupled Saronic’s valuation just seven months after the company achieved unicorn status in July 2024.
Saronic revealed that it has invested significantly in the last two years to develop and expand its small ASV (Autonomous Surface Vehicles) manufacturing capabilities. Port Alpha will be built on the foundation of this experience. The shipyard will be expanded with an advanced shipbuilding facility. It will be designed from the ground up. The production lines are designed to ensure optimized work and a production system that maximizes quality, scalability and speed.
Saronic said it will “leverage the processes and best practices that have revolutionized the commercial manufacturing industry to redefine how autonomous ships are built.

$4 Billion and 100 Acres to Expand Manufacturing
“Saronic’s investment in Louisiana’s shipbuilding industry will grow our economy, create high-quality jobs and strengthen America’s maritime strength,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “By revitalizing our industrial base here in Louisiana, we are taking a critical step toward building our own supply chains and standing up to foreign competitors like China. All of this is essential to our national security. We are grateful to Saronic for their commitment to this industry and our great state.”

The acquisition of the Louisiana shipyard will provide Saronic with nearly 100 additional acres to expand its shipbuilding operations. With the financial support of shareholders and the increased production space, it will be possible to “immediately develop and produce MUSVs.” Saronic plans to invest more than $250 million directly in the shipyard. Major facility and infrastructure upgrades, new machinery purchases, and a production system designed to build ships at a rapid pace are planned.

The upgrade is expected to enable Saronic to deliver up to 50 unmanned vessels per year. Saronic has retained the Gulf Craft workforce and plans to create more than 500 new jobs over the next 3-4 years. In addition to hiring skilled shipbuilders, welders and electricians, Saronic expects to create new positions for MUSV engineers, technologists and designers.
“Louisiana plays a key role in the U.S. shipbuilding industry, and with this acquisition, we are excited to be part of the continued revitalization of the industry in the region,” Mavrookas said. “The shipyard’s location, deep expertise and turnkey facilities are ideally suited to allow Saronic to rapidly develop, test and produce the first MUSV,” he said.

The plan is to eventually produce the full range of ASVs needed to support the development of the U.S. Navy’s hybrid fleet.
“Louisiana is a base for naval and defense development.” “Saronic’s investment solidifies the state’s position as a leader in the production of unmanned vehicles that are critical to the success of future Defense Department missions,” said Rep. Clay Higgins, D-Louisiana’s 3rd District.