On 13th March 2017, Boaty McBoatface set sail. Boaty is an unmanned robot submarine, Boaty is “Basically a yellow submarine that doesn’t have a person in it, that goes and romes around the ocean” (Professor Russell Wynn, of the national oceanography centre told a BBC reporter). Boaty has lots of sensors that help it navigate it through the ocean. Boaty has many uses such as looking under ice caps, which boats can’t do.

Not many people know that there is more than one Boaty! Boaty is in fact a trio of vehicles in the new autosub long range class of underwater robots. One of the trio has been dropped into the Orkney passage: a narrow 3500m deep gap in the underwater ridge which is north-east of the arctic peninsula. Boaty has since been sent down to monitor conditions as scientists theorise that water at the bottom of the ocean is warming. This means that underwater life could be affected by the warmer water and underwater ice floes could melt, causing sea levels to rise.

Find out more about Boaty by clicking ‘continue reading’.

A poll was held to name the main ship in 2016, the ex BBC radio Jersey presenter, James Hand, suggested the name ‘Boaty McBoatface’ as a joke. However, the public loved it! The name rocketed high into the polls and in the end, was the most popular name. However Jo Johnson, Science Minister, said there were more suitable names for the boat, which was later named ‘RRS Sir David Attenborough’. But Boaty lived on to become the name of the trio of yellow submarines, contained in the craft.

Personally we love the name and wish Boaty many exciting voyages!

By Robert and Abbie, Year 8.