‘Boaty McBoatface’ wins public vote to name $284 million polar research ship

A polar research ship that celebrates polar research and the naval history of the U.K. has been named Boaty McBoatface in an online poll.

Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) had asked for help finding a name that would reflect the 200 million-pound ($284 million) ship’s mission and celebrate British naval history.

The U.K.’s newest polar research vessel could have been named to honor scientists and explorers, but instead was given the name after former BBC radio host James Hand proposed the name.

Hand apologized for the suggestion, but still thinks it’s a “brilliant name.”

I'm terribly sorry about all of this, @NERCscience.

— James Hand (@JamesHand) March 20, 2016

The former radio host went on to vote for a name that was dedicated to naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, but Boaty McBoatface took the internet by storm, winning the poll with 124,109 votes. That number is more than three times of the name that came up in second.

According to BBC, the ship will launch in 2019 and is replacing two other vessels.

The competition rules do state that the NERC will be able to select the final name.

The boat itself will have a large impact on the shipbuilding industry and jobs in the area.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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