From Legacy to Launch
BlackSea Technologies began with a simple but enduring principle: the people closest to the mission should shape the tools they use.
That idea took root in Baltimore in 1986 with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC), a hands-on engineering firm known for building what others would not. From the earliest unmanned vessels and hydrofoils to the original GARC, which at its start was just a small jet-powered craft designed to launch through surf and survive 30-foot waves, MAPC specialized in bold maritime innovation.
Over time, MAPC was joined by other teams that shared its mission-first mindset. Hard Yards brought digital strategy and agile frameworks trusted by special operations and the intelligence community. Blue Tide Marine supported sensitive test programs with real-world logistics, vessels, and veteran operators. Lakenheath Electronics Design delivered space-rated flight hardware and embedded electronics for the most demanding defense environments.
In 2022, these companies came together through a series of strategic acquisitions to form BlackSea Technologies. Along the same Baltimore waterfront that once launched Liberty ships, we are scaling the next generation of maritime systems. Today it is not steel-hulled freighters but fleets of autonomous vessels like GARC, designed to meet urgent naval needs in contested domains.
We are engineers, operators, and builders. We are part of a new Freedom's Forge, ready to deliver at speed and scale, so those in harm's way have the tools they need to win. We carry the legacy forward under a new name, with the same pride and urgency that shaped our beginnings.
We are BlackSea Technologies.
“For in this modern world, the instruments of warfare are not solely for waging war. Far more importantly, they are the means for controlling peace. Naval officers must therefore understand not only how to fight a war, but how to use the tremendous power which they operate to sustain a world of liberty and justice, without unleashing the powerful instruments of destruction and chaos that they have at their command.”
— Admiral Arleigh Burke, CNO, 1 August 1961
WWII was a wake up call. Our headquarters is located in the Baltimore harbor at the same location the defense industrial base cranked out liberty ships to support WWII. In four years, our site launched a total of 508 ships. The building time for a Liberty Ship was cut from 150 days to 19 days. We are proud to sustain that same innovation, grit, and sense of purpose.
Our Mission
Our Vision
Our People
We build systems that protect American lives and preserve freedom of action at sea. From autonomous vessels to advanced electronics and software, our mission is to deliver scalable, intelligent tools that help U.S. forces deny, degrade, and outmaneuver the threats of modern warfare. We exist to keep servicemembers out of harm’s way and give our partners the asymmetric edge they need to win.
To lead a new era of defense production where speed, autonomy, and overmatch shape the fight before it begins. We believe America's ability to control the seas depends not only on large platforms but on scalable systems built for contested environments. Our vision is a force equipped with the right tools at the right time, ready to prevail in the conflicts to come.
We are engineers, operators, builders, and veterans. Many of us have worn the uniform. All of us are driven by the mission. We take pride in building systems that work because we know who is depending on them. From the shop floor to the design table, we share one goal: delivering the tools that help our forces stay ahead.
Cthulu Wakes
Cthulhu is a cosmic space deity from H. P. Lovecraft’s 1928 story The Call of Cthulhu. Described as a massive creature with a green octopus face, dragon wings, and a vaguely human form, Cthulhu sleeps beneath the sea in the sunken city of R’lyeh, awaiting its return.
To us, Cthulhu represents overmatch.
Overmatch means having the strength to keep adversaries in check. It is the advantage that stops a conflict before it starts because the cost of engagement is already too high for the other side.
That is the advantage we are building. Systems that extend reach and reduce exposure. Maritime platforms that operate where others cannot. Mission-ready logistics and support that bring real capability to the field. Scalable production that meets demand before the threat arrives. Software, autonomy, and electronics that work together under pressure and deliver when it counts.
We are not in this to simply build systems. We are here to help preserve strategic control. In a world where the tools of warfare shape geopolitics long before shots are fired, maintaining that control means staying ahead.
Our adversaries are moving faster. They are adapting, investing, and deploying at scale. If we lose our edge, we lose the ability to deter. And if we lose the ability to deter, the cost of restoring it will be far greater.
Cthulhu wakes. So do we.
