Image credit: UK Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
Britain’s newest research vessel won’t be named ‘Boaty McBoatface’, despite an enthusiastic Internet campaign. However, the name has been memorialized in another way – as the moniker for a submarine drone attached to the research ship.
The British public had their chance to name the $300 million research vessel using a poll publicized by the National Environment Research Council in March. BBC radio veteran James Hand proposed “Boaty McBoatface” as a joke, and it took off, receiving more than 124,000 votes in the poll. U.K. Science Minister Jo Johnson overrode it for a more “suitable” name, though, choosing “Sir David Attenborough.” The well-known naturalist’s name was the distant runner up, with 11,000 votes.
Boaty McBoatface will instead become the designation for one of the autonomous submarines attached to the Sir David Attenborough and used for underwater research during the ship’s missions in Antarctica and the Arctic.
An example of the type of autonomous submarine used on a research vessel. Image credit: UK Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
Hand addressed the name in a Tweet today:
The Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough will be put into service in 2019. Its construction is the largest commercial shipbuilding project currently under contract in Britain, providing 400 jobs. When complete, the ship will be 128 meters long and weigh 15,000 gross tons.
“The ship has captured the imaginations of millions, which is why we’re ensuring that the Boaty name lives on through the sub-sea vehicle that will support the research crew, and the polar science education program that will bring their work to life,” Johnson said.
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