PETER BUCKTROUT / INSTITUTE OF MARINE RESEARCHArtist’ rendering of the United Kingdom’s RRS Sir David Attenborough (above), and Norway’s Kronprins Haakon (below)PETER BUCKTROUT / INSTITUTE OF MARINE RESEARCH
The UK’s future polar research ship, scheduled to begin operating in 2019, already has a name: the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The name pays tribute to the British naturalist, 90, known for natural history programs and documentaries that he has been hosting on the BBC since the 1950s. The ship is 129 meters long and will cost US$290 million. It can accommodate up to 60 scientists and will replace two research vessels that have been operating for more than 20 years. The ship will also carry a small unmanned submarine, Boaty McBoatface, capable of capturing images at depths of up to 6,000 meters. Actually, this nickname was the result of an online vote to name the ship, but the tribute to Attenborough won out, albeit not without an amusing protest. A petition with 2,000 signatures asked Attenborough to change its name to Sir Boaty McBoatface for the sake of “democracy and humor.” In addition to the United Kingdom, five countries are preparing to build polar ships. The largest one will be from Australia. The ship can hold 116 scientists and should be ready in 2020 at a cost of US$380 million. Norway is the country whose vessel is closest to plying the seas. The Kronprins Haakon, with room for up to 35 researchers, will be launched in 2017. China is expected to launch its new polar vessel in 2019, followed by Germany in 2020.
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