Will a UK research vessel be called Boaty McBoatface?

Will the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) be naming their new research vessel ‘Boaty McBoatface’, as per a public poll?

Sadly, it doesn’t look that way.

It is true that NERC asked the public for suggestions for a new name for their new 129 metre research vessel. Such suggestions were in the form of a poll on their website. Anyone could submit a name suggestion and anyone could vote for their favourite suggestion.

And yes, it is also true that one of the early leaders in the poll was a joke suggestion called “Boaty McBoatface”, submitted by James Hand (who later apologised for the suggestion.) That suggestion was leading the polls early on and finished the clear winner when voting was closed on April 16th 2016, with over 120,000 votes. Significantly more than its closest rivals.

However, the public suggestion polls were only that – suggestions. NERC were under no real obligation to pick the winner from the public poll, or indeed pick any suggestion from the poll at all.

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The final decision for the name of the vessel falls with science minister Jo Johnson (and, traditionally, the Queen who has to issue a royal warrant decreeing the name) but he had indicated already that the joke suggestion wasn’t likely to be etched onto the research vessel anytime soon…

The new royal research ship will be sailing into the world’s iciest waters to address global challenges that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people, including global warming, the melting of polar ice and rising sea levels,
That’s why we want a name that lasts longer than a social media news cycle and reflects the serious nature of the science it will be doing. There are many excellent suggestions among the 7,000 names put forward by members of the public and we’ll make a decision as to which one should be put forward for the royal warrant when we’ve had a chance to review them all.

So, if you were hoping for RRS Boaty McBoatface, it doesn’t appear that this is going to materialise. The final decision on the name will be made in due course.

What do you think? Should the democratic public poll winner stand? Or is the name not serious enough to be put onto a boat doing serious work? Let us know.