Here Are the Details About the Mystery Vessel in San Diego Bay this Week
UFOs have littered the skies for decades with only grainy pictures, tall tales, and conspiracies as evidence of their existence.
However, their mysterious aquatic counterpart, the USV (Unmanned Service Vessel), is an entirely different story.
For the USV spotted in San Diego Bay on Monday, there are plenty of crystal clear pictures, reliable accounts of sightings, and even the confirmation of the Pentagon. (More impressive is the DOD released the information on this type of vessel back in January, and it has yet to get redacted.)
USV Catbus (name as shown on MarineTraffic) in San Diego Harbor – Raytheon prototype – September 13, 2021 #usvcatbus
* video courtesy of @cjr1321 pic.twitter.com/i93c51W8tA
– WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) September 14, 2021
Many residents and visitors of San Diego Harbor have seen this mysterious vessel first-hand.
The USV spent the past week tooling around San Diego Harbor toward San Clemente Island. Since it’s a surface vessel, it doesn’t dive underneath the water. This makes it easier to spot when it moves past the shoreline, allowing onlookers the opportunity to photograph the vessel.
What most know about the vessel is that its name is USV CATBUS. It is unmanned but equipped with large solar panels, antennas, radar, and a special maritime camera.
USV Catbus (name as shown on MarineTraffic) heading out to sea trials from San Diego – September 14, 2021 #usvcatbus
* photos courtesy of @cjr1321 pic.twitter.com/3VuBRcMuxT
– WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) September 14, 2021
This high-tech catamaran-without-a-sail may also have a FLIR ball, which measures the moisture to ensure the vessel doesn’t get swamped out there.
There is speculation that the increase in USV testing is part of a mission related to Afghanistan, but that is not confirmed. Having a USV capable of deploying missiles or conducting surveillance with a remote crew is undoubtedly an asset to the US Navy, wherever it gets deployed.
For now, USV CATBUS and other USVs will continue to use San Diego and the Pacific Ocean for training purposes.
About the name Catbus: This may be a nod to a character in Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro...
I think that name’s already taken pic.twitter.com/B0eiZUVXvX
– UberMitch (@UberMitch) September 13, 2021
Note: The Banner photo in this article is courtesy of Twitter user @cjr1321
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