back to article What to call a £200m 15,000-tonne polar vessel – how about Boaty McBoatface?

The good folk of Blighty have voted with their fingers - the polar-bound Royal Research Ship is to be called Boaty McBoatface. The Natural Environmental Research Council last week asked for suggestions to name the £200m, 15,000 tonne floating lab that is bound for colder climes once it launches in 2019. At last count, some …

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  1. ZSn

    Faith

    Just when I was losing faith in my fellow citizens along comes this...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

      Is it just me or does "Boaty McBoatface" utterly smack of a bunch of first year uni students with a hilarious sense of humour and too much time on their hands trying to skew the vote?

      When they're factored out, it'll turn out that your fellow citizens actually voted for something boringly worthy like "Vanguard". :-)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

        Never underestimate the power of a shell loop, curl, and a crappy PHP voting system.

      2. DaLo

        Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

        Well seeing as that suggestion was from the Communications Manager of The Independent Association of Prep Schools, James Hand, then does that add or detract weight from your theory?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

          Like the proud wankers who voted for Fapulous Apple to be the new Mountain Dew flavor, only to be outvoted by Hitler Did Nothing Wrong, brought to you by 4chan IIRC.

          This is what always happens when you ask the internet. And you fully deserve it if you're too chicken to come up with a name yourselves.

          P.S. c'mon guys, there's still time to do worse than Boaty McBoatface.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

            My nomination, if the site comes back up; "2 Girls, 1 tub".

            1. x 7

              Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

              "My nomination, if the site comes back up; "2 Girls, 1 tub"."

              So "rub a dub dub, two screws in my tub"

              A nursery rhyme about ships propulsion devices

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

              > My nomination, if the site comes back up; "2 Girls, 1 tub".

              Which will get blocked by the poor people who have to look through the entries before they get posted..

              SWMBO is one of them!

            3. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

              My nomination, if the site comes back up; "2 Girls, 1 tug".

              TFTFY

        2. graeme leggett Silver badge

          Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

          And an ex-Beeb man too.

          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-35860760 "Boaty McBoatface instigator 'sorry' for ship name suggestion"

          1. Tommy Pock

            Re: An ex-Beeb man, too

            Not only is Boaty McBoatface the most British of suggestions, the apology for suggesting it couldn't have been more English

      3. JeevesMkII

        Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

        It's the internet, dude. They should thank their lucky stars they don't have to name their boat RRS Hitler Did Nothing Wrong.

        1. Triggerfish

          Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

          So how do you know students did it, or do you work your conclusions backwards from bias?

          Also the website crashed after news reports of the name as far as I know, could still be people cheating the system but I like to hope the whole of the UK heard the story and wen't yeah lets make sure that name wins.

          1. Alien8n

            Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

            It's this kind of logic that helps Finnish death metal bands win the Eurovision.

            Let's face it, when Lordi were announced as Finland's entry that year they were guaranteed 12 points from the UK :)

            And we clearly don't want to win, otherwise we'd just get Iron Maiden to enter...

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

            @ Triggerfish; "So how do you know students did it, or do you work your conclusions backwards from bias?"

            Given that I said it "utterly smacked" of a bunch of students, I think it's quite obvious that my conclusion was 100% worked backwards from narrowminded, student-stereotyping bias.

            Duh!

            You make it sound like that's a bad thing! ;-)

            @DaLo; "Well seeing as that suggestion was from the Communications Manager of The Independent Association of Prep Schools, James Hand, then does that add or detract weight from your theory?"

            "Independent Association of Prep Schools"? You mean this guy's got enough free time from his "real" job (i.e. doing PR for future Bullingdon Club members training to get into Eton) to come up with this?

            You're probably right. Not so much a student w*****r, more of a "****** Mc****face" then?

            1. Triggerfish

              Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s @AC

              In that case I tip my hat to you sir for revelling in your biased and narrowminded predujices. My apologies I was reading the daily mail website before, forgot you get an intelligence and self awareness on here.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s @AC

                I rather like "Name of Vessel" as shown in the photo.

                Reminds me of "First name is required".

              2. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s @AC

                @Triggerfish; Either that or I was playing up the (admittedly not entirely without foundation) stereotype of students and young people in general- yes, I've been there myself, surprisingly- and quite obviously acknowledging that for tongue-in-cheek purposes.

                I guess if you missed that glaringly obvious fact you might think I was a Daily Mail reader rather than someone who wouldn't wipe my arse with it for fear of turning my backside racist. (Joke stolen from some comedian, can't remember who...)

                What are "predujices" by the way? Are they a range of delicious orange and apple flavoured drinks popular with the aforementioned Daily Mail set? (^_^)

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

          > RRS Hitler Did Nothing Wrong

          or RRS Götterdämmerung (in homage to Iron Sky of course)

          1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

            Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

            My suggestion was "RSS I knew we should have made the hull stonger" probably won't get posted..

      4. Suricou Raven

        Re: This is why everyone thinks students are w*****s

        It's a reference. It doesn't make sense unless you've prior exposure to a certain meme.

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: ZSn Re: Faith

      "....my fellow citizens....: I would suggest the "unusually high traffic" is an indicator not of citizens but probably of one citizen skiddie and a zombie farm.

  2. Mage Silver badge
    Pint

    OK Then

    The main purpose of Democracy is really to ditch stupid leaders without the bother of a bloody revolution?

    So it's maybe OK that they pick a name themselves if they get a bunch of loony tunes.

    1. Emperor Zarg

      Re: OK Then

      The main purpose of Democracy is really to ditch stupid leaders without the bother of a bloody revolution?

      That seems to have worked well...

  3. Darryl

    Typical. "Tell us what to name it. Unless, of course, we don't like the name you all like, in which case we'll just do what we always do and pick our own damn name."

    1. DavCrav

      "Typical. "Tell us what to name it. Unless, of course, we don't like the name you all like, in which case we'll just do what we always do and pick our own damn name.""

      How about, more likely: "Give us some suggestions. But if you do something stupid, we have the right to ignore you."

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Paris Hilton

        Tell us what to name it. Unless, of course, we don't like the name you all like, in which case we'll just do what we always do and pick our own damn name

        It's like US-supported regime change, then?

    2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      > pick our own damn name

      Which was always an option. Although, they might be leaning towards naming one of the smaller attached boats (like a small tugboat) as Boaty McBoatface..

      Or so a source familiar with the situation tells me.

  4. small and stupid

    I predict the name will be

    m/v lateandoverbudget

    1. yoganmahew

      Re: I predict the name will be

      Bipolar

      1. Alien8n

        Re: I predict the name will be

        The RSS Stephen Fry?

  5. Clockworkseer

    It no longer matters what they officially call it.

    As thanks to the publicity,it will now, in the public conciousness, be forever "<soandso> also known as Boaty McBoatface"

  6. Blane Bramble

    You'd think people would know better by now. The British public can be reliably trusted to take the piss...

    1. Clockworkseer

      Reminds me of the Gitwizard/David Blaine and his attempt to hang in a glass box over the Thames with no food. At which point the british public obligingly used remote control aircraft to drop cheeseburgers on the roof.

      If there's a way to skewer excess dignity, the british public will find it.

      1. Triggerfish

        @Clockworkseer

        I saw a commenter on another forum refer to it as a Twatdangle.

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon

          Re: @Clockworkseer

          "I saw a commenter on another forum refer to it as a Twatdangle."

          I was under the impression that a commentard coined that particular (accurate) observation?

          When I saw him in his box, I could hardly make him out due to the quantity of raw eggs covering the box :)

          1. Triggerfish

            Re: @Clockworkseer

            I swear I saw it on b3ta, but I am pretty sure another commentard who is on here visits there as well.

    2. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

      Hot DAMN!!

      But I feel so proud.

      Is that the unladen weight or the body-line when it is full of dead Linux symbols and blubber?

    3. Youngone Silver badge

      The British public can be reliably trusted to take the piss...

      It's one of their best qualities.

      1. Chorotega

        I'd prefer RSS Lets get ship faced

    4. Evil Auditor Silver badge
      Devil

      The British public can be reliably trusted to take the piss...

      That makes me overly optimistic for June 23.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I think I prefer RRS Pingu.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      My personal favourite was RRS Nottetitanic

    2. akeane

      Moc moc!

      PiiinnnnnnGGGUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

      Hopefully the boat will be sufficiently armed to take out that boring Sammy the Seal who is always messing up Pingu's fun...

      P.S. I am not mad, and have only had my allowed daily ration of cognac. Peace to you all (expect boring seals)

      Hail Pingu, fools!

    3. Evil Auditor Silver badge

      RRS Pingu?

      or RRS It's Grim Down South.

  8. brassedoff
    IT Angle

    Whatever, mission accomplished because all the media (and many many people) now know about the NERC's new research vessel, all because of a silly name

    )FWIW, I also voted for Boaty McBoatface. Just because)

  9. ChunkyMonkey

    Whatever you think

    "Boaty McBoatface" does have a certain poetry to it.

    I personally voted for Henry Worsley, his obituary describes a remarkable man.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12121935/Lieutenant-Colonel-Henry-Worsley-obituary.html

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Whatever you think

      If they ever get the web site back on its feet I shall be adding Kenneth William Cobley to the list:

      http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4692211.ece

      Legend.

  10. Bloodbeastterror

    Oh please, please...

    ... let the Queen launch it with the traditional bottle of champagne and the regal "I name this ship..."

    Deep joy... :-)

  11. the spectacularly refined chap

    This is nothing new

    People should have learned by now you can't trust the public to name things. It's probably 150 years since the East Lancashire Railway ran a public poll to name a club they were opening for use by their employees. The winner: The East Lancashire Railway Employee's Club.

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