'Boaty McBoatface' dead in the water as government minister dismisses public's choice of name

New ship: Members of the public were given the chance to name the research vessel
@NERCscience

The government is set to sink hopes a £200 million research ship could be named Boaty McBoatface.

RRS Boaty McBoatface steamed to victory in a competition staged by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to name their new vessel.

But Science minister Jo Johnson, who has the final decision over the naming of the boat, has played down the idea, stating he wants a name that "captures the spirit of scientific endeavour".

He told the Daily Telegraph: "You won't be surprised to know that we want something that fits the mission and captures the spirit of scientific endeavour.

"The public has come up with some fantastic and very imaginative suggestions. We are reviewing all of them."

Boaty McBoatface received 90,000 more votes than its closest rival, RRS Poppy-Mai, named after a 16 month-old girl with terminal cancer.

They were followed by RRS Henry Worsley, commemorating the Antarctic explorer, RRS It's Bloody Cold Here and the RRS David Attenborough.

The name was suggested by former BBC presenter James Hand and even crashed the NERC website as people rushed to back it.

NERC has always stressed the final decision about the name does not lie with the public.

The research ship will be the largest and most advanced in the UK when it becomes operational in 2019.

The 128 metre long ship will sail in the Arctic and Antarctic with a crew of 90 scientists and research staff.

The NERC said the name of the new research vessel would be announced "in due course".

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