Boaty McBoatface tops poll of name for polar research vessel

Boaty McBoatface has topped an online poll to name the U.K.'s newest polar research vessel, beating entries that honored scientists and explorers.

Britain's Natural Environment Research Council had asked for help finding a name that would reflect the 200 million-pound ($284 million) ship's mission and celebrate British naval history.

The council asked for inspirational entries about environmental and polar science. But in the contest ending Saturday, Boaty McBoatface won with 124,109 votes — more than three times its closest contender. The vote was advisory and the name will be decided by the council.

Last month, The Gayly reported that Spokeswoman Alison Robinson said the council was "pleased that people are embracing the idea in a spirit of fun."

She said thousands of names had been proposed and that many honored British explorers and British history. Robinson said the council would announce the name it has chosen "in due course" based on the criteria it set — suggesting that "Boaty McBoatface" may not make the grade even if it gets the most online backing.

However, The Guardian reports that the chief executive of the NERC, Duncan Wingham, who will have the final say in the naming of the boat, is left with a tense dilemma: delight the public and enrage the scientific establishment, or lose the goodwill the campaign has generated. Several PR experts have urged Wingham to keep the name to keep the momentum of public interest going.

Social media and science PR experts are divided as to how the NERC should respond to the poll.

“They should stick with the public decision,” said Bob Ward, policy and communications director for the Grantham research institute on climate change and the environment at the London School of Economics. “If a new name is chosen, that is saying: ‘We don’t trust the public’, but people would soon forget about it.

Tom Sheldon, senior press officer at Science Media Centre said he did not think any goodwill would be sacrificed if a different name was chosen. “Even if NERC pick a name with more gravitas, I seriously doubt there will be any public indignation; we’ve had fun with this, and it will always be Boaty McBoatface to the nation,” he said.

Former BBC radio host James Hand, who proposed the winning entry, has apologized for the controversy, though he still thinks it's a "brilliant name." He voted to name the ship after naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough.

The Associated Press and The Guardian contributed to this report. 

The Gayly- 4/18/2016 @ 11:30 AM CDT