A man who jokingly suggested naming a multimillion dollar British research ship the RRS Boaty McBoatface is apologizing now that the spoof could become a reality.
James Hand, of Warwickshire, came up with the silly moniker after the government asked people on the Internet to propose and vote on “inspiring” names for the $288 million Royal Research Ship last month, he said.
More than 27,000 people flooded the National Environment Research Council’s Web site to vote for his goofy suggestion — causing the site to crash on Sunday.
But Hand, a communications specialist, didn’t mean to sink the ship’s site, he said.
James Hand“I’ve actually been speaking a bit to the people behind the Web site. I’ve apologized profusely,” Hand told the BBC.
“I made the suggestion but the storm that’s been created, it’s got legs of its own.
“I’m kind of scared it might actually win now,” he added.
The 129-meter, 15,000-ton “state of the art polar research vessel” will set sail to Antarctica and the Arctic in 2019, according to the agency.
Officials have the power to overrule any ship name they don’t like — but that doesn’t mean they’re not pro-Boaty McBoatface.
Hand tweeted that he’s “sorry” to the agency.
But rep Julia Maddock responded, “[We’re] loving it.”
The agency set April 16 as a deadline for the name vote.
