A high-tech ship is marking the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower, the ship that carried a group of European settlers to North America. The famous trip prepared the way for England’s colonization of what Europeans in 1620 called the New World. The anniversary was marked this week in Plymouth, England, the starting point for the historic Mayflower crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Local officials gathered with sea travelers and scientists for the launch of the new ship. It is called the Mayflower Autonomous Ship. It is an ocean research ship that is fully autonomous and powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The sun-powered ship is set to sail across the Atlantic without a captain or crew on it. The 15-meter ship is a joint project of ocean research group ProMare and IBM, the American computing company. It will take the same route as the 1620 Mayflower, from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, in the American state of Massachusetts.
