Britons vote to name $287m research ship "Boaty McBoatface"

After asking the public to decide upon a name for a $287m research ship, Britain's Natural Environment Research Council is feeling stupid, because they've picked "Boaty McBoatface."

The storm that has been created has got legs of its own, Mr. Hand told the BBC on Monday, and added that he had submitted Boaty McBoatface in another competition. (For what its worth, Mr. Hand voted for the name R.R.S. David Attenborough.)

The research council would not comment on whether it would override the Internets suggestion, but Alison Robinson, a spokeswoman, said in an email that the group was delighted by the enthusiasm and creativity of people vying for names like Boaty McBoatface. The ship is scheduled to set sail in 2019.

Weve had thousands of suggestions made on the website since we officially launched; many of them reflect the importance of the ships scientific role by celebrating great British explorers and scientists, Ms. Robinson said. We are pleased that people are embracing the idea in a spirit of fun.

There's something particularly British about "Boaty McBoatface." The way it thinks it's funny and lighthearted and a bit subversive, but the teeth are pressed together just a little too hard for it to be any of those things.

(Just leaving it as "Name of Vessel", on the other hand, would be British in a good way: sarcastic, passive-aggressive, likely to confuse/irritate foreign maritime officials, etc)