No cause for alarm, however. It's just Proteus, a so-called Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel designed for everything from military uses to biological studies, ocean exploration and sea rescue.

Daniel Basta, director of the National Marine Sanctuaries for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, said the lightweight, low cost and modular craft is well suited to scientific and environmental purposes. The spindly catamaran can travel 5,000 miles — farther than across the Atlantic — on one 2,000-gallon load of diesel fuel.

"Proteus will be able to launch and recover automatic vehicles, do remote vehicle operations, it will be tested for standard dive support operations, putting instruments on the bottom, collecting data — all the things that we currently do in one form or another, but most likely more cheaply, effectively and probably better," Basta said.

Proteus was making its first appearance in New York, the fourth leg of a tour that began in San Francisco in January and will end in Washington, D.C.

Source - LiveScience

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