This master's thesis concerns the further work on the platform named AAUSHIP. This is an ASV which can have different purposes. Within the scope of this project it will be used for surveying applications, where the AAUSHIP will be expanded to be a fleet of AAUSHIPs to navigate in a formation.

Firstly, the old AAUSHIP is upgraded with respect of hardware and implementation of these have been necessary. The single AAUSHIP have been tested after newly implemented Kalman Filter and a heading controller have been implemented. This is used as a LOS guidance to make the AAUSHIP converge onto a predetermined trajectory. Afterwards is the focus to investigate formation strategies to be implemented at the AAUSHIP when more ships are to come. The main investigated strategy is based on a potential field algorithm, which have been simulated with the dynamics of the AAUSHIP. This is the basis of future work to implement this strategy at the coming AAUSHIP fleet for verification of the methods.

Results show that, with the model designed, it is possible to control the AAUSHIP in the area of interest. Further work to the model can improve performance, but this has not been the main focus within the scope of this project, where the surveying purpose have been in focus. Simulation of the formation control strategy with potential field shows the potential to implement this at the coming AAUSHIP fleet, such that these will be able to perform surveying as an entire group of vessels.