The “Boaty McBoatface” submarine will be part of an Antarctic expedition to map the deep sea currents and understand how that may affect climate change. The moniker had been chosen by internet voters for the name of a British research ship, but they’ve had to settle for a sub.
It will be assisting researchers for the project called DynOPO (Dynamics of the Orkney Passage Outflow) along the 11,500-foot-deep waterway, a joint effort by the British Antarctic Survey and Southampton University, according to Gizmodo.
The sub’s nickname received worldwide notice last year when the National Environmental Research Council (NERC) sponsored a public poll to name a new $300 million icebreaker for the United Kingdom, CNN reported.
“Boaty McBoatface” easily won with 124,109 votes, but officials decided to overrule voters and went with the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough to honor the British naturalist and broadcaster just before his 90th birthday. Attenborough had received 11,000 votes.
To satisfy Boaty’s fans, the winning name has been used for a drone submarine during exploration of the polar region, Fox News reported. The NERC released a statement on plans for the long-range sub’s journey during the scientific expedition:
“Cute though it sounds, this unmanned submarine is part of a fleet of some pretty intrepid explorers,” the statement said.
The statement pointed out that the first mission for “Boaty McBoatface” will begin this month, helping to collect data “through submarine waterfalls and rapids, shedding light on how global warming is changing our oceans.”
The sub will be aboard the RRS James Clark Ross when it departs with scientists on March 17, heading for the Southern Ocean, about 500 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula, to be used to collect deep measurements of ocean turbulence.
Meanwhile, work continues on the inside of the RSS Attenborough in Birkenhead. There will be trials to determine its seaworthiness with plans for its first mission in 2019.
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