Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research vessel

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Graham Kennedy
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Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research vessel

Post by Graham Kennedy »

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The official name of a new multi-million pound research vessel could be the RRS Boaty McBoatface after the internet was asked for its ideas.

When the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) opened up suggestions to name their new ship, little could they have predicted what the frontrunner would be.

Steaming ahead of its rivals, RRS Boaty McBoatface is outstripping the likes of Endeavour, Henry Worsley, David Attenborough, Falcon and many more offerings.

Some other tongue-in-cheek submissions include It’s bloody cold here, Usain Bolt, Ice Ice Baby and Notthetitanic.
Oh, I sooooo hope they go with this. You just know it's going to be the unofficial nickname of the ship no matter what's on the side. :happydevil:
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Mikey »

Ask an internet question, get an internet answer. But, yes - "Boaty McBoatface" would be 98% epic.
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by McAvoy »

Almost called my three legged cat Gimpy McStumpy. Now he is just Tricycle.

They should go for it. Free publicity and all.
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Nutso »

This is like when Mountain Dew asked the internet to "Dub the Dew," and the top choice was "Hitler Did Nothing Wrong," followed by "Diabeetus," then "Gushing Granny."

Or the time the internet was asked to vote for a "Win a Live Taylor Swift Concert," and the Internet, probably the demented users of 4chan, voted for a School for the Deaf. The contest was cancelled. Or when she had a "Taylor Swift's Biggest Fan" contest, with the winner receiving a visit with the young starlet, and the Internet began voting for a 39 year old man. This man made a video talking about his fan-love of Taylor Swift, which I do not want to find. This contest was also cancelled.

Or the time a rapper named "Pitbull" promised the Internet he would go to the Walmart Facebook page which received the most votes and do a concert there, and the Internet rewarded Kodiak, Alaska, pop. 6,100, with a Pitbull visit. To his credit, he did as promised.
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Nutso wrote:This is like when Mountain Dew asked the internet to "Dub the Dew," and the top choice was "Hitler Did Nothing Wrong," followed by "Diabeetus," then "Gushing Granny."

Or the time the internet was asked to vote for a "Win a Live Taylor Swift Concert," and the Internet, probably the demented users of 4chan, voted for a School for the Deaf. The contest was cancelled. Or when she had a "Taylor Swift's Biggest Fan" contest, with the winner receiving a visit with the young starlet, and the Internet began voting for a 39 year old man. This man made a video talking about his fan-love of Taylor Swift, which I do not want to find. This contest was also cancelled.

Or the time a rapper named "Pitbull" promised the Internet he would go to the Walmart Facebook page which received the most votes and do a concert there, and the Internet rewarded Kodiak, Alaska, pop. 6,100, with a Pitbull visit. To his credit, he did as promised.
Well, legit good on Pitbull.
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Nutso »

Aww. Boaty McBoatface instigator 'sorry' for ship name suggestion.
A man who suggested naming a new £200m ship Boaty McBoatface has apologised.

The suggestion has attracted more than 27,000 votes in an online poll of names for the Royal Research ship, causing the website to crash.

Former BBC presenter James Hand said he found the list of possible names "really funny" so decided to "throw one into the ring".

He "apologised profusely" to the Natural Environment Research Council.

There is no guarantee the ship will be given the name that tops the poll, with the final decision to be made by the chief executive of the NERC.

Other names in the running are RRS Pingu, RRS Usain Boat and RRS David Attenborough.

A NERC spokesperson said staff were "very much enjoying hearing everyone's ideas".
'So surreal'

Mr Hand said: "I read the story about naming the ship on the BBC website on Thursday and some of the entries were really funny - my favourite was Clifford The Big Red Boat.

"I thought I would throw one into the ring. By Friday night it was leading by a couple of thousand, and when the site crashed on Sunday it was leading by 8,000. It's been utterly bizarre."

Boaty McBoatface is 25,000 votes ahead of the second place suggestion, RRS Henry Worsley.

The boat is being built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead on Merseyside and when completed in 2019 it will study ice sheets, ocean currents and marine life as part of the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey.

"I've apologised profusely to the people behind the website," the former Good Morning Jersey host said.

"It was actually nothing to do with me. It was my suggestion but the storm that has been created has legs of its own.

"I suggested this for the Condor Liberation when they had a poll, I bet they're kicking themselves now."

Mr Hand, who presented Good Morning Jersey from July 2013 to September 2015, added: "It's all really good fun, but it's so surreal."

Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was "proud that we have silly names going around" but hoped that none of them were actually selected.

Alison Robinson, director of corporate affairs at the NERC, which based in Swindon, said: "We've had thousands of suggestions made on the website since we officially launched; many of them reflect the importance of the ship's scientific role by celebrating great British explorers and scientists.

"We are pleased that people are embracing the idea in a spirit of fun."
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Reliant121 »

I loved the BBC interview with Lord West, former First Sea Lord, as you he was on the edge of cracking up the whole time. :mrgreen:
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Aww, he shouldn't apologize. That's a good name!
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Nutso »

A U.K. Official Probably Just Killed Any Hopes for 'Boaty McBoatface'
The public has spoken, but even after weeks of polling and tens of thousands of votes, it remains unlikely that a new British research ship will be named Boaty McBoatface after all.

This, despite the name getting over 124,000 votes from the internet public in a poll, winning decisively and besting its next closest competitor, Poppy-Mai, by over 80,000 votes.

On Monday, Jo Johnson, the Conservative Science Minister who will be ultimately approving the name, said that Boaty McBoatface was "not suitable," crushing the hopes and dreams of the whimsical everywhere.

It was always going to be a tough upstream paddle for Boaty, especially after even its creator, James Hand, a former BBC radio presenter, disavowed his creation and voted instead for "RRS David Attenborough."

Monday's remarks, however, portend final doom for Boaty, since Johnson has also said the poll will just be one factor in the naming decision.

Boaty's life was short if wondrous, though Boaty's supporters continue to fight.

The complete top 10:

1. RRS Boaty McBoatface, 124,109 votes

2. RRS Poppy-Mai, 39,886 votes

3. RRS Henry Worsley, 15,774 votes

4. RRS David Attenborough, 11,023 votes

5. RRS ITS BLOODY COLD HERE, 10,679 votes

6. RRS Usain Boat, 8,710 votes

7. RRS Boatimus Prime, 8,365 votes

8. RRS Katharine Giles, 7,687 votes

9. RRS Catalina de Aragon, 7,055 votes

10. RRS I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie, 6,452 votes
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Dammit, number ten MUST come from behind and win!
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Mikey »

Come from "behind?" I see what you did there! ;)
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by Nutso »

"Bible, Wrath of Khan, what's the difference?"
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Re: Boaty McBoatface could be the name of £200m research ves

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Mikey wrote:Come from "behind?" I see what you did there! ;)
Glad someone caught it. :D
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