Rhode Island Merger Bolsters Acoustic Sensing for Undersea Warfare

Rhode Island-based Vatn Systems has acquired Crewless Marine in Warren, a move aimed at improving its in-house capabilities in underwater acoustic sensing and signal processing.

The deal allows Vatn to modernize core components used across its autonomous undersea platforms, reducing reliance on external suppliers while lowering costs and improving performance.

The company, headquartered in Bristol, produces torpedo-like unmanned underwater vehicles for military and commercial customers.

Meanwhile, Crewless Marine specializes in acoustic systems, hydrophone manufacturing, and real-time signal processing.

It is currently working on a US Navy contract focused on AI-enabled multi-sensor target localization.

“Acoustic sensing is fundamental to undersea warfare, and owning this capability end-to-end enables us to advance our mission while positioning us to expand into the harbor defense and environment monitoring markets,” said Nelson Mills, CEO and co-founder at Vatn.

Integrating 30+ Years of Experience

As part of the acquisition, Crewless Marine co-founders Steven Bordonaro and Philip Caspers will join Vatn.

Bordonaro will serve as chief engineer for systems, while Caspers will become director of acoustics.

The team brings more than three decades of experience in acoustic signal processing, including Bordonaro’s senior leadership roles at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, where he led torpedo guidance and control development.

“Joining Vatn allows us to scale the technologies we’ve spent our careers developing and bring them to a broader set of missions,” Bordonaro said.

“We’re excited to accelerate what’s possible in acoustic sensing and undersea warfare together.”