Thread: Boaty McBoatface: Man behind the name apologises to company for social media 'storm'

The man behind the popular campaign to name a British polar research ship "Boaty McBoatface" has apologised for the "storm" it has created, with the voting website crashing under the strain.



The Natural Environment Research Centre (NERC) announced the poll to name the £200 million Royal Research Ship last week, allowing people to submit their own suggestions to their website.

Communications manager James Hand jumped on the opportunity, suggesting RRS Boaty McBoatface — and the name quickly surged ahead with more than 27,000 votes.

The voting website has since crashed "due to overwhelming interest", NERC said.

External Link: NERC tweets their voting website is down
Mr Hand, a former BBC Radio Jersey presenter, told the station that he had apologised to the organisation.

"I've actually been speaking a bit to the people behind the website. I've apologised profusely," he said.

"What I keep saying to people is, this is actually nothing to do with me. I made the suggestion but the storm that's been created, it's got legs of its own.

"I just feel it's a very British thing, which a lot of people have pointed out."
But the acting associate director of communications and engagement for NERC, Julia Maddock, said she was "loving it".

External Link: NERC's Julia Maddock tweets they are "loving" the attention
"We wanted people to talk about our ship and get involved. We are delighted," she tweeted.

Also in the top 10 favourite names is RRS Henry Worsley, an explorer who died trying to make the first unassisted solo crossing of the Antarctic; the RRS David Attenborough; and the RRS Usain Boat.

NERC's director of corporate affairs Alison Robinson told Mashable they were enjoying the suggestions, but the final decision would be "announced in due course".

While Boaty McBoatface may have the most votes, the terms and conditions of the competition say the final approval falls to NERC.

Lord Alan West, a retired senior officer of the British Navy, told BBC Radio it was "a typical thing of the Brits going mad" but that he hoped the silly names were not selected.

"I think I would probably go for an Arctic or Antarctic explorer — that would be appropriate — bearing in mind this is a key bit of research where we are probably leading the world, and we should all be very proud of it," he said.

The 15,000-tonne ship will operate in both the Arctic and Antarctic when it launches in 2019, and can fit up to 90 scientists and support staff onboard.

Boaty McBoatface: Man behind the name apologises to company for social media 'storm' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The power of the written word...And it doesn't really have to be written anymore...

many years ago as a youngun with a disturbed mind I managed to convince a few of the reprobates I associated with to vote up the name LANA for a research vessel of the aust govt - we would snigger at the thought of it going in reverse

Boaty McBoatface it is, then...But we'll leave it to the lawyers..

RRS Ernest Shackelton

Incredible tale:

And - he brought all his men home again.

Railway workers joined in the fun.

^ Good one, harry...

Competition to name icebreaker will 'avoid Boaty McBoatface situation', minister says

A national competition to name Australia's new icebreaker will "avoid a Boaty McBoatface situation", Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt says.
Social media has been flooded with disappointed would-be icebreaker enthusiasts, who wanted to follow the lead of the British public who voted to name their icebreaker Boaty McBoatface.

But Mr Hunt was quick to put a stop to the frivolity.

"Boaty McBoatface is not a name that we will accept, I'm just ruling that out from the outset," Mr Hunt said.

The online world has set about finding a loophole to Mr Hunt's decision, though.



The environment minister said he would consult with school children to find a name for the $500 million ship, which would be operational in 2019.

"What we really want to do is engage school children, we want to engage people in the scientific community, the general population in putting forward proposals," he said.

"Shortly after the contract is done we'll be launching a name campaign with the school children and students of Tasmania."

There will be a public competition for the name, although details on how the competition will work were yet to be finalised.

"The advice I have on the great nautical issue of good karma is that you don't launch a search for a name until you've got the contract done," Mr Hunt said.

The online outrage follows similar scenes in Britain when Boaty McBoatface was rejected by the British government's Natural Environment Research Council.

Public campaigns have worked before though, with a naming competition successful in calling a humpback whale "Mister Splashy Pants".


Competition to name icebreaker will 'avoid Boaty McBoatface situation', minister says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Boaty McVolte-face ?

MPs to quiz NERC top brass over Boaty McBoatface


BOATY McBoatface’s rise to fame will see members of the Natural Environment Research Council quizzed by MPs.
The Science and Technology select committee has announced it will conduct an inquiry into the naming of NERC’s £200million vessel after more than 120,000 people voted for the comical name in the council’s Name Our Ship campaign.
But despite the name being the run-away success – with 124,109 votes of support, compared with 34,371 of its nearest rival – science minister Jo Johnson has said that the name of the ship should fit the mission and “capture the spirit of public endeavour”.
Fears that Boaty will be completely ruled out have seen culture minister Ed Vaizey wade into the matter, stating that the government should respect the will of the people.
Now Professor Duncan Wingham, the chief executive of the NERC, has been called upon to give evidence on Tuesday.
Nicola Blackwood, the chairman of the committee, said: "Hundreds of thousands of people took part in NERC’s competition to name a new polar research vessel.
"And they’ll want to know whether there’s going to be a ‘Boaty McVolte-face’ on the name. My committee wants to explore this as an example of science communication.
"Was it a triumph of public engagement or a PR disaster? We’ll also want to know how NERC intends to build on the mass coverage they’ve attracted and engage people with the vital polar science that Boaty will be enabling.”

MPs to quiz NERC top brass over Boaty McBoatface (From This Is Wiltshire)

Originally Posted by blue

Boaty McVolte-face ?

Good call!

or how about ..

The Paddle of Rebuke?

The 'Boaty McBoatface' polar ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough. Sir David said he was "truly honoured" by the decision.



While the polar ship itself will not be named Boaty McBoatface, one of its remotely operated sub-sea vehicles will be named Boaty in recognition of the vote.

The science minister said: "The public provided some truly inspirational and creative names, and while it was a difficult decision I'm delighted that our state-of-the-art polar research ship will be named after one of the nation's most cherished broadcasters and natural scientists."

The RRS Sir David Attenborough is being built on Merseyside and is due to set sail in 2019.

'Boaty McBoatface' polar ship named after Attenborough - BBC News

Apparently there is a petition to rename David Attenborough Mr Boaty McBoatface.

There have been some other similar situations...

Allowing a primary school class to name an emu resulted in Spazzy Mcgee:


Hooty McOwlface:


And Mr Splashy Pants:

Ferry McFerryface to be name of new Sydney ferry after public vote

Run a competition asking Sydney to name a new ferry, expect the outright silliest name to win.

Ferry McFerryface is now officially the name of the last ferry in a new fleet of inner harbour vessels.

The name was voted on by hundreds of Sydneysiders in a competition which allowed the public to be part of maritime history.

However, the most votes actually went to the name Boaty McBoatface, the notable title Brits voted to call a new research vessel last year.

But Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said they wanted to avoid a double up.

"Given Boaty was already taken by another vessel, we've gone with the next most popular name nominated by Sydneysiders," Mr Constance said.

"Ferry McFerryface will be the harbour's newest icon, and I hope it brings a smile to the faces of visitors and locals alike.

"This one is for the kids."

More than 15,000 suggestions were made in the Name Your Ferry competition and three of the six new ferries have already been picked by voters: Victor Chang (Australian heart surgeon), Fred Hollows (ophthalmologist) and Catherine Hamlin (obstetrician).

The suggested names were considered by a four-person panel comprising of Australian National Maritime Museum director and chief executive Kevin Sumption, former NSW Volunteer of the Year Patrick Dodd, NSW Young Australian of the Year Melissa Abu-Gazaleh and Australian Museum director and chief executive Kim McKay.

When voting opened Mr Constance urged the public: "Let's really generate some of the best names possible."

The new fleet has capacity for about 400 customers, improved accessibility for people with disabilities, wi-fi access, luggage and bicycle storage areas and charging stations for electronic devices.

The Boaty McBoatface legacy has spread worldwide, with an express train in Sweden named Trainy McTrainface earlier this year and a team at Sydney's Warwick Farm racecourse naming their horse Horsey McHorseface last year.

The memorable moniker was actually rejected for its intended vessel, deemed unsuitable, with RSS Sir David Attenborough chosen instead.

Ferry McFerryface to be name of new Sydney ferry after public vote - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Good one, are you a stringer for Loopy McLoopLace tho ?

Copycats be copyin

^ Copy McCopyface perhaps

Ronald McDonald is suing, the clown...

Got to love those humourless Maritime Union of Australia organisers,the head dickhead, Paul Garrett has said the union would boycott the boat due to
it's disrespectful name saying it was an insult and a bad joke.
The NSW transport minister said the union are a bunch of spoilsports for kids looking to hop on board.