An open vote allowing members of the public to name a new €255m Navy research vessel hasn't exactly gone to plan, thanks to the creativity of one cheeky voter.
After announcing that the name of its newest ship would be decided by a public vote, the UK's National Environment Research Council may be forced to dub the vessel the "RSS Boaty McBoatface".
The suggestion is currently leading the poll this morning with a whopping 24,000 votes and counting – a huge 21,000 ahead of its nearest competitor, RSS Henry Worsley.
Other suggestions getting attention so far include the RSS Usain Boat, the RSS It's Bloody Cold Here, the RSS Boatimus Prime, the RSS Ice Ice Baby and the simple but effective RSS Boat.
The 128m-long vessel, which is 128 metres long will operate in the Arctic and Antarctic for research purposes from 2019 onward, and will carry up to 90 scientists and support staff.
James Hand, who originally submitted the Boaty McBoatface suggestion, says he's sorry for the embarrassment to the ship's operators.
"I read the story about naming the ship on the BBC website on Thursday and some of the entries were really funny – my favourite was Clifford The Big Red Boat.
"I thought I would throw one into the ring. By Friday night it was leading by a couple of thousand, and when the site crashed on Sunday it was leading by 8,000. It's been utterly bizarre.
"I've apologised profusely to the people behind the website. It was my suggestion but the storm that has been created has legs of its own."
In an update last night though, the National Environment Research Council said the boat's final name could be vetoed by a panel. Party poopers.
