‘Boaty McBoatface’ arrives
The British public has long been known for its puckish sense of humor. Two years ago, an online poll was conducted to choose a name for a new British Antarctic…
The British public has long been known for its puckish sense of humor. Two years ago, an online poll was conducted to choose a name for a new British Antarctic Survey research vessel. A BBC radio host jokingly added the name “Boaty McBoatface” to the poll.
This whimsy struck an instant chord among the public. When votes were tallied, it had scored four times more than the next most popular name.
However, the conservative establishment was having none of it. The new state of the art research ship was christened RRS Sir David Attenborough.
Boaty McBoatface was not discarded. It has become the name of the lead boat of a number of submersibles that mothership will carry.
The British Antarctic Territory has marked the arrival of Boaty McBoatface by striking its first-ever 27.30 mm, 8.00 g cupronickel 50-pence coin.
This article was originally printed in World Coin News. >> Subscribe today.
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