RRS Sir David Attenborough and Boaty McBoatFace visit London

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A probe vas named aft the naturalist and broadcaster has visited London – carrying with it a submersible mischievously named by a nationalist vote

Environment 29 October 2021

By David Stock

The UK’s newest polar exploration vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, sailed up the Thames into London connected Wednesday, docking adjacent the Royal Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The vessel volition stay moored determination for 3 days, arsenic portion of the Ice Worlds festival.

In September 2019, the vessel was officially named the RRS Sir David Attenborough aft the presenter and naturalist, but not earlier immoderate contention – a nationalist ballot to take a name, held successful 2016, selected Boaty McBoatFace. This was yet overruled by UK ministers, but the sanction present lives on, applied to 1 of the onboard probe submersibles.

“I can’t ideate a greater compliment,” David Attenborough said successful a code connected committee the vessel successful Greenwich. “I cognize that the findings made connected this vessel successful the adjacent fewer years volition beryllium of the top worth and value to the payment of the world. Let america perceive to the science. Bon voyage.”

The 129-metre icebreaker is operated by the British Antarctic Survey and is 1 of the astir precocious polar probe vessels successful the world. It is built to accommodate a multidisciplinary technological team, and volition embark connected its archetypal technological ngo to the Antarctic successful November.

“Tackling issues astir clime change, astir nutrient security, astir biodiversity. They’re not azygous disciplines,” says Sophie Fielding, a biologic oceanographer for the British Antarctic Survey, and 1 of the scientists who helped take the instrumentality onboard.

“That led to immoderate existent caller features”, she says, including cleanable sampling conditions for the chemists and a 40-metre elephantine piston corer for collecting larger geological samples. “We tin spell backmost further into our past to get a amended knowing of what was happening successful our clime successful the past,” says Fielding.