Skip to main content

Boaty McBoatface is about to begin its maiden Antarctic voyage

boaty mcboatface begins maiden voyage
National Oceanography Centre
A high-tech, remotely controlled submarine called Boaty McBoatface is setting out on its first mission in the icy cold waters of Antarctica this week.

As you may recall, the bizarre moniker was the result of a public campaign launched last year by the United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to choose a name for its gleaming new 200 million-pound (about $243 million) polar research ship.

Recommended Videos

The NERC had encouraged “inspirational” suggestions linked to “environmental and polar science, to help us tell everyone about the amazing work the ship does.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

But the council clearly hadn’t accounted for the Brits’ sometimes bonkers humor, with one particular name — Boaty McBoatface — attracting far more votes than any other choice offered in the online poll.

Other suggestions included Onion Knight, I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie, and It’s Bloody Cold Here.

Clearly horrified at the thought of having to give its lovely new vessel such a daft name, the NERC reminded everyone that it would have the final say. After some thought, it ended up naming the ship after a British naturalist and broadcaster — a man with the far more sensible name of David Attenborough — who placed fifth in the poll. However, not wanting to completely disregard the people’s carefully considered choice, the council said it’d give the absurd Boaty name to the ship’s robot sub instead.

Boaty gets to work!

This week Boaty McBoatface begins its maiden mission aboard the the British Antarctic Survey research ship RRS James Clark Ross, which the RRS Sir David Attenborough will replace in 2019.

The autonomous underwater vehicle is a 3.62-meter-long, 700-kg “autosub” capable of traveling under ice at depths of up to 6,000 meters. Data gathered by Boaty will be sent back to scientists on the ship via a radio link when the sub periodically surfaces.

“Boaty and similar autonomous vehicles will help oceanographers investigate the processes driving change in the polar regions, including the extent of the ice melt, and conduct a range of research in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans without the need for the constant presence of a research ship,” NERC explains on its website.

In the coming years, Boaty is expected to attempt the first-ever crossing of the Arctic Ocean under ice, a mission that “has the potential to deliver a step-change in scientists’ ability to observe change in this vital region.”

The advantage of the sub’s silly name is that it’s helped to generate publicity for oceanographer’s work far beyond what they could’ve imagined before the public campaign started.

The U.K.’s National Oceanography Centre has even come up with a cartoon version of Boaty McBoatface to get kids interested in marine research, and, according to the Guardian, is also creating a large inflatable of Boaty that’ll publicize its work at special events around Britain.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Hyundai Ioniq 5 sets world record for greatest altitude change
hyundai ioniq 5 world record altitude change mk02 detail kv

When the Guinness World Records (GWR) book was launched in 1955, the idea was to compile facts and figures that could finally settle often endless arguments in the U.K.’s many pubs.

It quickly evolved into a yearly compilation of world records, big and small, including last year's largest grilled cheese sandwich in the world.

Read more
Global EV sales expected to rise 30% in 2025, S&P Global says
ev sales up 30 percent 2025 byd sealion 7 1stbanner l

While trade wars, tariffs, and wavering subsidies are very much in the cards for the auto industry in 2025, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to rise substantially next year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

"2025 is shaping up to be ultra-challenging for the auto industry, as key regional demand factors limit demand potential and the new U.S. administration adds fresh uncertainty from day one," says Colin Couchman, executive director of global light vehicle forecasting for S&P Global Mobility.

Read more
Faraday Future could unveil lowest-priced EV yet at CES 2025
Faraday Future FF 91

Given existing tariffs and what’s in store from the Trump administration, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global race toward lower electric vehicle (EV) prices will not reach U.S. shores in 2025.

After all, Chinese manufacturers, who sell the least expensive EVs globally, have shelved plans to enter the U.S. market after 100% tariffs were imposed on China-made EVs in September.

Read more