Suggestions like “Boaty McBoatface” and “Pillar of Autumn,” a spaceship from Microsoft Corporation’s (MSFT) Halo video game series, are what happen when you ask the internet to name a boat for you.
The United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has launched a website to let the public vote on the name of its new $290 million pollar research ship. The ship will take its first voyage in 2019 and Boaty McBoatface is currently leading in the polls.
The name was suggested by a former BBC presenter named James Hand. He didn’t expect it to take off like it did and has apologized for his suggestion. Even if Boaty McBoatface wins the vote, that doesn’t mean its the name that the NERC will use, reports The Washington Post.
“No need to be sorry James, we are loving it,” Julia Maddock, the acting associate director of communications and engagement for NERC, told Hand in Tweet obtained by BBC News. “We wanted people to talk about our ship and get involved. We are delighted!”
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