Where is the Sir David Attenborough ship now? Why is it known as ‘Boaty McBoatface’ - origins of boat name

Sir David Attenborough has called on world leaders to listen to what the science is saying around climate change at the upcoming COP26.

He said: “We all know the magnitude of the dangers facing us in the immediate future.

“Would it not be marvellous to suppose that as a consequence of our discoveries, and science’s discoveries, the nations of the world joined together and actually did something in this coming Cop?”

The world renowned naturalist and BBC presenter was speaking onboard the ship named after him, the RSS Sir David Attenborough, on Thursday 28 October.

Here’s all you need to know about the RSS Sir David Attenborough, where it is moored, why it is affectionately known as ‘Boaty McBoatface’ and where it is headed on its maiden voyage…

Where is the Sir David Attenborough ship now?

RSS Sir David Attenborough is moored in London ahead of its first Antarctic mission.

The UK’s new polar research vessel travelled up the Thames through the Woolwich Barrier and is now tied up in Greenwich.

The public won’t be able to board the 129-metre long ship while it is docked at the home of the Prime Meridian but it will be on view.

An exhibition at the Royal Museums Greenwich called Ice Worlds, which has virtual tours of the ship on a big screen, is open to the public.

RSS Sir David Attenborough cost £200 million to construct and has state of the art features like a helipad, labs, cranes and can deploy small subs.

It is classed as a Polar 4 icebreaker which can crash through metre-thick ice at a steady pace without damaging the ship’s hull.

Why is it also known as ‘Boaty McBoatface’?

Though officially named RSS Sir David Attenborough, the name ‘Boaty McBoatface’ was initially proposed in March 2016.

It followed an online poll which saw the public vote ‘Boaty McBoatface’ as the preferred choice.

It was a name first coined by former BBC Radio Jersey presenter James Hand and is said to be inspired by a 2012 adopt-a-bird programme called Hooty McOwlface.

Ministers chose not to follow through with the results of the #NameOurShip poll and instead named the ship after Sir David Attenborough.

One of the yellow submersibles onboard the ship carries the name ‘Boaty McBoatface’.

Where is the Sir David Attenborough ship going?

Following extensive trials around the British coastline, RSS Sir David Attenborough’s maiden ocean voyage will be to Antarctica.

There, the ship will conduct research and deliver supplies to Rothera, the UK’s main scientific base on the continent’s peninsula, as well as other stations in the region.

Research conducted will provide scientists with a better understanding of how the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are warming amid climate change.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.