Boaty McBoatface to embark on its maiden dive into Antarctic waters

Boaty McBoatface is an Autosub, an autonomous submarine. This one is being is winched prior to the keel-laying ceremony of the new polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough. Boaty McBoatface is an Autosub, an autonomous submarine. This one is being is winched prior to the keel-laying ceremony of the new polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough. Photo: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images Photo: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Boaty McBoatface to embark on its maiden dive into Antarctic waters 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Boaty McBoatface, the name the Internet picked for a new British polar exploration ship, will begin its first mission this week, but not as a boat.

After online voters chose that name for the successor to the research ship the James Clark Ross during a public campaign, the U.K.'s Natural Environment Research Council backed away from the popular choice. Instead, the Science Ministry settled on the more dignified the Sir David Attenborough.

As a consolation prize, a yellow submersible was given the name Boaty McBoatface. The vessel was going to be underwater most of the time anyway, so what did it matter?

Nobody lives in this yellow submarine, yellow submarine, because Boaty is remote-controlled. Actually, "submarine" is even a bit of a stretch. Formally described as Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Boaty resembles a torpedo with a weight problem.

But despite a name more appropriate for a Fisher-Price toy, Boaty's mission is anything but frivolous. The sub will explore an "abyssal current" that originates in Antarctica and flows into the Southern Ocean. Its two-month assignment is to collect data to help researchers understand how global warming affects the oceans.

A future goal for Boaty is to attempt the first under-ice crossing of the Arctic Ocean, according to the The British National Oceanography Center.

Boaty is sailing with the James Clark Ross as the David Attenborough is still under construction at a shipyard in Liverpool, England. The ship is not expected to embark on its maiden voyage until 2019.