The US Navy’s huge unscrewed robot ship has sailed through the Panama Canal

By David Hambling

A US Navy ship during a training exercise

US Navy

For the first time a robotic cargo ship has passed through the Panama Canal. The unscrewed ship, an Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) of the US Navy, undertook a 8700-kilometer voyage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, almost entirely without human assistance.

Pentagon spokesman Josh Frey says the ship was in autonomous mode for over 97 percent of the voyage. A distant crew helped if necessary.

The US Navy has two of the 59-meter Overlord ships that …