SubSeaSail, Inc.
"Changing the Math with the small, the agile, the many, the invisible, the attritable"
San Diego maker of wind/solar sailing drones built to dive to 100 m: the 32 kg HORUS semi-submersible ISR boat and the self-righting HERMES trimaran.
SubSeaSail, Inc. is a San Diego company developing low-cost, wind- and solar-powered uncrewed sailing vessels that it calls Autonomous Undersea & Surface Vehicles (AUSVs). The vessels sail on the surface but are designed to submerge, to hide from storms or hostile actors and to listen underwater, before resurfacing to continue the mission. The company's stated aim is to make long-duration ocean data collection, communications and payload delivery cheaper and more reliable than existing uncrewed surface vessels, under the slogan "the small, the agile, the many, the invisible, the attritable".
According to the company, SubSeaSail was conceived by two engineers with sailing-engineering backgrounds. The original concept answered a US government request for long-distance delivery and release of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Early partner Chris Todter, a former technical director for seven America's Cup teams including the 2010 Oracle trimaran winner, contributed to the core intellectual property. Co-founder and CEO Michael Jones runs the business; he also founded TMA BlueTech, a San Diego ocean and water technology cluster. The team page lists about a dozen engineers and staff, several of them part-time, plus a board of directors and advisory board with Navy, Marine Corps and ocean-technology backgrounds.
Two vehicle lines are under development:
- HORUS: a lightweight (32 kg) semi-submersible monohull for ISR and ocean observation. The hull rides below the waterline, which cuts drag, wake and visual signature. A transparent, floodable wingsail with low radar reflectivity rotates around a fixed Kevlar mast. A float module holds the IMU, electronics and a ballast tank for submerging, and a small thruster helps with station-keeping and light-wind navigation near shore. The company says one or two people can launch it from a dock or small boat without special handling equipment.
- HERMES: a fast trimaran for delivering cargo and energy to beaches, small ports and remote islands. SubSeaSail says it is the first multihull able to self-right underwater after a capsize, then resurface and continue its route.
The earlier Gen6 and Gen7 platforms established the core design. A patented Passive Wingsail Control Mechanism sets the rigid wingsail to the best angle for propulsion with no electronics, lines or pulleys, so the rudder servo is the only electro-mechanical part needed to sail. Total electrical load is under 1 W, with solar panels charging NiMH batteries that also act as ballast. Gen6 offered an optional ballast system to submerge to 10 m; the current HORUS and HERMES designs target repeated dives to 100 m. As of September 2026 SubSeaSail reports 16 issued and 6 pending patents, covering the wingsail control, the below-waterline sailing hull, holding position underwater and righting a capsized multihull underwater.
The company has received SBIR awards. In September 2024 it signed a USD 3 million prototype Other Transaction Agreement with National Security Innovation Capital, part of the Defense Innovation Unit. The agreement funds completion of the submerging buoyancy engine and preparation of HORUS for contract manufacturing in 2026, at an initial rate of 15 or more vehicles per month. Field milestones listed on its site include:
- ANTX Gulfport 2019, where HORUS first demonstrated submerging, along with CTD and UUV transport.
- A Gen6 vessel bought and tested as a hydrophone platform by the US Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center.
- An August 2022 USV experiment at NUWC Newport hosted by the Northeast Tech Bridge. In 2020 it announced a distributor agreement with BlueZone Group.
Target applications include passive acoustic monitoring arrays, marine mammal listening, detection of illegal fishing and incursions into exclusive economic zones and marine protected areas, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasure sensing, communications gateways linking subsea assets to satellites, and launch, recovery and charging of small UUVs. SubSeaSail plans to build fleets through contract manufacturers rather than its own factory. It is registered as a federal contractor in SAM.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact SubSeaSail, Inc.
WEBSITE
https://subseasail.comPHONE
+1 619-253-8761HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
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Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
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Funding Stage
Grant / Non-profit
Funding Total
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