The RRS Sir David Attenborough, better known as Boaty McBoatface, has dropped anchor off Greenwich for a few days before undertaking its maiden Antarctic voyage.
The UK has a long history of polar research, for which it needs polar research ships. The most recent, RRS James Clark Ross, was retired a couple of months ago after 30 years of service and sold to the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine. Construction of a larger replacement began in Birkenhead in 2016, with handover to the British Antarctic Survey in 2020 and several sea trials undertaken since. The new ship is 129m long, has a thicker hull and is packed with modern gadgetry. Up to 60 scientists can be accommodated on board. The plan is to spend the summer in the Arctic and the summer in the Antarctic, hemispherically-speaking, to keep ice-breaking at a minimum.
The ship gained cultural notoriety in 2016 when the Natural Environment Research Council held a public vote to choose its name without specifying a shortlist. Over 7000 different options were suggested, by far the most popular of which was Boaty McBoatface, a throwaway idea originated by a radio presenter in the Channel Islands. But NERC had cunningly retained the final say so skipped Boaty, the sick toddler in second place and the drowned soldier in third, alighting instead on the naturalist in fourth. The announcement that the ship would be called RRS Sir David Attenborough was made two days before the great man's 90th birthday, coupled with the assuaging news that one of its long range submersibles would be called Boaty McBoatface instead.
Walking round the edge of the Isle of Dogs I wasn't quite sure when RRS Sir David Attenborough would come into view, nor prepared for just how big it was. The ship was moored just upstream of the Cutty Sark beside some flats it almost dwarfed, at least in its central section. It was also redder than I'd been anticipating, which'll no doubt help it stand out as it carves through polar seascapes. Up front is an open deck large enough for a couple of helicopters and up top are all the radars, dishes and masts you'd expect on a vessel designed for lonely waters. A chain of coloured flags had been strung from bow to stern, but as I wasn't carrying either binoculars or my Usborne Book of Secret Codes I'm not sure what message they might have been spelling out.
The ship's side doors were open revealing a Thunderbirds-sized collection of additional craft. These included a lifeboat, a rescue boat and a mini supply vessel, not to mention the legendary Boaty McBoatface... although I'm not sure which of these were on the side facing Greenwich and which were on the side facing Tower Hamlets. The big yellow crane at the back of the ship can be used to lower the required gizmo into the icy water or yank it out afterwards. Sir David may be at sea for up to 60 days - a big improvement on its predecessor - hence the scale and complexity of the facilities. I thought the snarkiest thing about the ship was the name of its home port - STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS - proudly emblazoned by the stern. [51 photos]
While RRS Sir David Attenborough is moored in Greenwich the National Maritime Museum is hosting an Ice Worlds festival, "a dazzling showcase of environmental science, engineering and technology" revealing "what it's really like to live and work in the Arctic and Antarctic today". You're too late to book free tickets because they sold out a while back, but you can watch all the lectures on a bespoke YouTube channel or explore a lot of the key ideas online. Alas no members of the public are being allowed aboard the hallowed ship but everyone's welcome to view it from the riverbank, with the Greenwichside a lot closer than squinting from Tower Hamlets. Just be sure to come before 8am on Sunday morning when RRS Sir David Attenborough heads off down the Thames to make the most of an Antarctic summer.
A short walk from my vantage point on the Isle of Dogs is the birthplace of another iconic ship, the SS Great Eastern. Brunel's enormous passenger liner slipped down this launch ramp in 1858 (on its 14th attempt) and smashed all records for the world's largest, longest, steamiest ship. It's exemplary of the industrial revolution that kickstarted Britain's place in the world, but also of the coal-burning CO₂-belching attitude that got us into this climate mess in the first place. It's hoped that Boaty McBoatface's polar research will help us face the future, for example by measuring how fast glaciers are collapsing before the world's coastal communities inexorably flood. Come down to the riverside and wave off the ship while you still can.
