RRS Sir David Attenborough makes London debut, with Boaty McBoatface

The UK’s new polar research ship, RSS Sir David Attenborough, has sailed into London ahead of its first expedition to Antarctica. The 129m ice breaker made its London debut in Greenwich in support of the UK Presidency of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

RRS Sir David Attenborough has been undergoing sea trials around the UK and is now ready for service. It will embark on its first Antarctic mission later this year.

The ship was making this special visit to Greenwich as part of a three-day public celebration hosted by the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) and docked near the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

In September 2019, the ship was officially named the RRS Sir David Attenborough after the presenter and naturalist.

In a speech on board the icebreaker, Sir David Attenborough said: “I can’t imagine a greater compliment. I know that the findings made on this ship in the next few years will be of the greatest value and importance to the welfare of the world. Let us listen to the science. Bon voyage.”

The naming of the ship was not without controversy though as a public vote to select a name resulted in Boaty McBoatface topping the vote. The mischievous name was ultimately overruled by UK ministers, but the name now lives on and has been applied to one of the onboard submersibles.