Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Boaty McBoatface submarine. Photograph: University of Southampton/PA

Attenborough is one of the most popular figures in the UK, held in affection by generations who grew up on his deeply personal films of wildlife and nature from around the world. Last year his work reached a bigger audience than ever when Blue Planet II, which recorded the devastation on ocean ecosystems caused by plastic pollution, became the year’s most watched TV programme.

In an interview with the Guardian, he recalled how at school his science teacher had told the class of the wonders of plastic being indestructible, and noted how across the arc of his lifetime it had come to be seen as a scourge.

Since Blue Planet II, public awareness of the plastic problem has forced a series of measures by governments – including a promise to phase out single-use plastic in the UK – and by companies, such as Starbucks’s recent commitment to a 5p cup charge and an end to plastic straws, and the installation of bottle recycling in some supermarkets.

Sir Mark Walport, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, said: “The work of Sir David has engaged millions of people across the planet with these issues and their impact. The research ship named in his honour will make a vital contribution to addressing them.”

• This article was amended on 19 July 2018 to include reference to Birkenhead, where the research ship was built and from which it was launched into the Mersey.

