It was identified as a Wave Glider, a type made by U.S. company Liquid Robotics, which is capable of traveling thousands of miles and is used by both the U.S. Navy and Britain’s Royal Navy as well as other government agencies and scientific researchers.
The local Coast Guard have been unable to trace the owner so far, but the craft’s configuration suggests it was on a secret mission...
...the mystery remains over who was operating it, what it was doing — and why they are keeping quiet. more
UPDATE:
What is a Wave Glider and how do they work?
Wave Gliders are unmanned surveillance boats built by the American company Liquid Robotics.
They are used by the British and American navies to monitor the movement of submarines in hostile territories.
The boats tow sensors under water to detect vessels entering or operating in a targeted area and send messages to shore-based operators via satellite.
During a mission to patrol the waters around the Pitcairn Islands, the Wave Glider successfully intercepted and collected data on three vessels whose AIS signatures were unavailable.
A new Wave Glider was released in 2019.
Dave Allen, Chief Executive Officer, Liquid Robotics said at the time: 'Over the years our customers’ missions have grown in complexity and scale, operating in one of the most challenging environments on Earth – the ocean.
'In response we’ve continued to raise the bar for unmanned surface vehicles.
'We’ve
poured 12 years of lessons learned into this newest Wave Glider to
ensure we can meet and exceed our customers’ mission demands.' more
