As the Natural Environment Research Council‘s poll to name their new $370m polar research ship closed, one entry reigned unequivocally supreme: Boaty McBoatface.
The entry – put forward by former BBC radio presenter James Hand – raked in a ridiculous 124,109 votes, four times that of second place entry RRS Poppy-Mai, named after a 16-month-old girl with incurable cancer. (Hey, ya feeling guilty yet?)
Third place went to RRS Henry Worsley, the British explorer who died earlier this year while attempting to become the first man to cross the Antarctic unaided earlier this year, fourth went to the aptly named RRS It’s bloody cold here (accurate), and
fifth to RRS David Attenborough.
Thanks to everyone who took #BoatyMcBoatface in right spirit. Final say goes to @NERCscience, and there’s plenty of worthy winners.
— James Hand (@JamesHand) April 17, 2016
“Thank you for all your overwhelming interest and support,” they said on Twitter.
“The final decision will be announced in due course.”
Thank you all for supporting our #NameOurShip campaign. The final decision will be announced in due course. pic.twitter.com/yg4VHvNrm5
— NERC (@NERCscience) April 17, 2016
Look. Even if NERC decides not to side with the people on this one, Hand’s efforts and British ingenuity will not be in vein.
BREAKING NEWS: @JamesHand to name next Royal Caribbean ship: https://t.co/OOwCEJn1c7 pic.twitter.com/4Iw3KPdg1E
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 1, 2016
If the top entries show us anything, it’s that the internet and naming things do not go well for hapless corporations. (Remember when Mountain Dew was forced to pull their naming comp in 2014 after 4chan ensured the winner was ‘Hitler Did Nothing Wrong‘?)
TOP 20 ENTRIES:
- RRS Boaty McBoatface – 124,109
- RRS Poppy-Mai – 34,371
- RRS Henry Worsley – 15,231
- RRS It’s bloody cold here – 10,679
- RRS David Attenborough – 10,248
- RRS Usain Boat – 8,710
- RRS Boatimus Prime – 8,365
- RRS Katherine Giles – 7,567
- RRS Catalina de Aragon – 6,826
- RRS I like big boats & I cannot lie – 6,452
- RRS Pillar of Autumn – 5,823
- RRS What iceberg? – 5,250
- RRS Boaty McBoatface the Return – 4,730
- RRS Boat – 4,507
- RRS Pingu – 4,343
- RRS Poppy-Mai – Warrior Princess – 4,287
- RRS Thanks for all the fish – 4,236
- RRS Big metal floaty thingy-thing – 3,909
- RRS Ice Ice Baby – 3,673
- RRS Boatasaurus Rex – 3,371
Source: NERC.
Photo: NERC.