London: Boaty McBoatface had captured the public's fancy but British officials said on Friday the country&rsquo;s newest polar research vessel will be christened Sir David Attenborough, in honor of the prominent naturalist and broadcaster.
<img title="The petition to rename David Attenborough to Boat McBoatface has already garnered more than a 1,000 supporters. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/may/Boat-McBoatface-1.jpg" alt="The petition to rename David Attenborough to Boat McBoatface has already garnered more than a 1,000 supporters. Pic/AFP" /> The petition to rename David Attenborough to Boat McBoatface has already garnered more than a 1,000 supporters. Pic/AFP
However, there&rsquo;s now a petition to have Attenborough re-named to Boaty McBoatface. The tongue-in-cheek petition reads, &ldquo;The public want the UK&rsquo;s new polar research ship to be named Boaty McBoatface, but it will instead will be named after the revered naturalist and thoroughly lovely bloke Sir David Attenborough.
Wouldn&rsquo;t it be great if Sir David changed his name to Sir Boaty McBoatface in the interest of democracy and humour?&rdquo;
But all is not lost for Boaty McBoatface fans who had voted in favor of the unusual &mdash; and perhaps undignified &mdash; name by an overwhelming margin.
Science minister Jo Johnson said a submarine vessel that will support the crew and various research programs will be called Boaty McBoatface.
Attenborough, who has produced a string of nature documentaries for the BBC and will celebrate his 90th birthday on Sunday, said he was &ldquo;truly honored&rdquo; by the choice of name. The Natural Environment Research Council had asked for help finding a name reflecting the 200 million-pound ($284 million) ship&rsquo;s mission and celebrating British naval history.
The jokey suggestion Boaty McBoatface got 1,24,109 votes, more than three times its nearest rival. The vote was advisory and officials had hinted that a more serious name would be chosen for the vessel, which is scheduled to be launched in three years.

The online petition was launched to give a new polar exploration ship its title

'Attenborough must be named Boaty McBoatface'

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'Attenborough must be named Boaty McBoatface'

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