Abstract
For centuries, people have voyaged the seas, structuring international and domestic law around the premise that people crew ships. However, that premise is no longer guaranteed as unmanned systems and vessels begin to embark on the waters. As the international community and U.S. legislators grapple with whether the law of the sea and domestic maritime law must adapt to accommodate the newest seafarers, it becomes evident that they need to be fully prepared to answer questions of liability and responsibility regarding unmanned vessels. This will become especially apparent when unmanned vessels collide with manned or other unmanned vessels. This article provides a framework to analyze liability and responsibility for collisions that occur in peacetime and during periods of armed conflict under the law of the sea and domestic maritime law based on the degree of autonomy of such vessels.
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