NEW SHOREHAM, R.I. (WPRI) — Multiple whales were spotted swimming in Rhode Island waters on Friday.

A12 News viewer captured video of the whales from their boat off the east side of Block Island.

Biologists from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Marine Fisheries believe the animals are humpback whales due to their large white pectoral fins.

The DEM says humpback whale sightings are relatively common in the summer, as the whales migrate to colder waters to feed.

According to the department, there have been multiple reports of whale activity around Block Island this spring and summer.

We’re down to our final two beaches in the Providence Journal bracket to determine Rhode Island’s best beach and we’ve got a matchup of state beaches.

Beachgoers have pitted Misquamicut State Beach against East Matunuck State Beach for the right to be called the state’s top beach, with both facing close matchups that were decided by fewer than 100 votes.

To get to this point, Misquamicut defeated Middletown’s Second Beach by 50 votes, while East Matunuck topped Narragansett Town Beach by 91 votes.

Through three rounds nearly 9,000 votes have been cast, but it will be this final round of voting that will make the ultimate difference.

Voting will be open until noon on Thursday and we’ll unveil the winner on Friday morning.

Misquamicut State Beach vs. East Matunuck State Beach

Westerly 

Hours:  9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Gates close at sunset.  

Amenities: restrooms, outdoor showers, wheelchair accessibility, large parking lot, playground, food and gift concessions, composting toilets, lifeguard tower and shade gazebos.  

Parking rate: Click here for full information 

East Matunuck State Beach 

South Kingstown 

Parking: 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday – Friday and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Gates close at sunset. 

Amenities: restrooms, outdoor showers, wheelchair accessibility, large parking lot, food and gift concessions, composting toilets, lifeguard tower, and shade gazebos. 

Parking rates: Click here for full information 

California drone developer Anduril Industries will establish a new center in Quonset Point, Rhode Island to increase its Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) production.

The factory will encompass 150,000 square meters (37 acres) of area and will include dedicated service bays, testing laboratories, and additional spaces to accommodate lifecycle tasks from research through sustainment.

The center is expected to boost the assembly of Dive-LD’s family of AUVs to more than 200 annually and create over 100 jobs within the first five years of its launch in 2025.

“We are thrilled to build a state-of-the-art production manufacturing facility for our LD family of vehicles in Quonset Point. Affordable, distributed mass is a central tenet of undersea deterrence and we look forward to supporting large-scale, cost-effective AUV deployments with our new facility,” Anduril Industries SVP Shane Arnott stated.

“Our Maritime Division continues to develop advanced undersea capabilities and, with large contract awards both in the United States and Australia, we are committed to the mass manufacturing of those proven capabilities at speed and at scales that matter.”

US Navy LDUUV Contract

The announcement follows Anduril’s selection under the Defense Innovation Unit’s prototyping effort to develop Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicles or LDUUVs for the US Navy.

The project involved a “swim-off” competition and was followed by an $18.6-million order for Anduril’s Dive AUVs.

“Over the last 6 months, the US Navy, in partnership with DIU and Congress, has driven an aggressive program timeline to put vendors on contract, acquire capabilities, and rapidly demonstrate those capabilities with warfighters,” Anduril Industries Director Nick Stoner said.

“This contract is a fantastic example of how the US Navy can incentivize industry to make capital investments and produce the kinds of undersea asymmetric advantages our Fleet Commanders need, on the timelines they need them.”

Anduril’s ‘Reliable, Flexible’ System

Dive-LD is a 3-ton (2,720-kilogram) system designed for seafloor missions down to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet).

It is built with a 3D-printed chassis to sustain buoyancy and support user configurations. It has a speed of up to 7 knots (13 kilometers/8 miles per hour), a survey range of up to 313 nautical miles (580 miles), and up to 10 days of autonomous, long-endurance deployment.

“Dive-LD is foundational to Anduril’s maritime capabilities for commercial and defense applications,” Anduril Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose explained during the recent US Navy competition.

“By combining proven subsea vehicle development expertise with advanced manufacturing processes, the platform is quick to produce, economical to manufacture and service, simple to customize, and robust in operation.”

“Dive-LD is the most reliable and flexible AUV on the market today, capable of rapidly integrating complex payloads or multi-sensor suites to provide advanced capability for a wide range of missions.”