I assume it has some kind of security built in because otherwise what would prevent a Russian dinghy from floating up and climbing on board
It also likely affects international treaties regarding the obligations of the master or officer in charge.
If the computers go down, and with no one aboard, is it considered abandoned? Can anyone claim salvage rights by hooking up a tow?
Currently, "vessels have an international duty to give reasonable assistance to other ships in distress for saving lives" (quoting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_salvage). How does that duty extend to uncrewed vessels?
I'm sure there are lawyers salivating at the chance to resolve these questions.
The fact that there's no driving wheel doesn't mean you cannot take control of the ship if you can plug your stuff to the right port.
Anyway, if I were to design such a thing for military, it would probably have some self-destruct option
I'm reminded of the classic evil-overlord design mistake of putting a large self-destruct button very prominently on the big control panel that is close to the cell where you keep 007 Bond to gloat and give away your plans instead of just shooting him.
to drop a grenade down a vent ?
> Anyway, if I were to design such a thing for military, it would probably have some self-destruct option
What would trigger the self-destruct in your design ?
With a well designed system of redundant sensors of multiple kinds, it should be impossible for anyone to come aboard such a ship without being instantly detected as a foe and without having their movements tracked with precision.
The ship should have some self-defense system, but when that defense system is overwhelmed and it is impossible to prevent enemies to enter certain critical zones, self-destruction should be activated. When the internal communication between certain parts of the ship is lost, presumably due to damage inflicted by attackers, self-destruction may also need to be activated.
This seems as one of the easiest parts to design of such a ship. Designing various sub-assemblies to be repairable using automatic means will be more challenging, especially in their mechanical design.