Boaty McBoatface may have topped the public vote but sadly it won’t be the name of a new polar research ship.
Advertisement
Social media is branding British officials as spoilsports Friday after refusing to name a polar research ship “Boaty McBoatface”.
It’s “a name that captures the ship’s scientific mission and celebrates the broadcaster’s contribution to natural science”, apparently.
The naming of the ship attracted worldwide attention after the research council turned to the public for help in naming its new arctic explorer, which is due to set sail in 2019.
The final decision, announced on Friday, came two months after the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) launched a public online poll, giving creative minds the chance to suggest names for a new £200 million ($287 millionor 255 million-euro) polar research ship.
While the ship will not be named Boaty McBoatface, one of the remotely operated sub-sea vehicles will be named Boaty in recognition of the vote.
First, they selected Sir David Attenborough-a world-renowned and beloved British naturalist and broadcaster who wrote and presented Life, as well as presented The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet-as its namesake, according to a United Kingdom government press release.
The U.K. government named one of the RRS Sir David Attenborough’s remote-controlled submarines “Boaty”.
Boaty McBoatface rallied significantly more support, with more than 124,000 votes.
Advertisement
Attenborough said he hopes everyone who voted in the poll will continue to follow the ship’s progress. Readers were indignant, calling it “Splashygate” and pointed out (like they have about Boaty McBoatface) that ” Silliness is GREAT for generating engagement”. The decision was made by British Science Minister Jo Johnson, the younger brother of outgoing London Mayor Boris Johnson. He later said that his favorite potential name was actually Clifford the Big Red Boat. Shortly after the poll began in March, James Hand, a former BBC radio presenter, proposed the name Boaty McBoatface. The name appeals to the child in us: thats one of the reasons its been so popular..
