BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND — The cutting-edge polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough — which the British public attempted to name "Boaty McBoatface" — has set sail for the first time, in an event widely covered by the British media.
The 122-meter-long vessel will conduct sea trials before being handed over to the Natural Environment Research Council in November.
In 2021 it will embark on its maiden voyage to the Antarctic to study the effects of climate change.