Boaty McBoatface
Drawing of Boaty McBoatface | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Boaty McBoatface |
| Owner | National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, England, UK; part of the UK National Marine Equipment PooI (NMEP) |
| Operator | National Oceanography Centre |
| Launched | 2017 |
| Commissioned | 2016 |
| Maiden voyage | 3 April 2017 |
| In service | 2018 |
| Status | Active; focal point of the Polar Explorer Programme of the British government |
| Notes | Carried onboard the polar scientific research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Autosub Long Range (ALR) |
| Type | Long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) |
| Displacement | 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) |
| Length | 3.62 metres (11 feet 10.5 inches) |
| Installed power | Lithium battery power |
| Propulsion | Electric motor-powered propeller |
| Speed | 0.5 to 1.0 metre per second (1.6 to 3.3 feet per second) |
| Range | at least 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) |
| Endurance | "several months" |
| Test depth | 6,000 metres (19,690 feet) |
| Complement | 0 – totally autonomous, pre-programmed before each mission launch |
| Sensors & processing systems | Sonar, temperature, salinity, density, audio |
Boaty McBoatface (informally known as Boaty) is part of a fleet of six 'over the horizon' autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) of the Autosub Long Range (ALR) class. Launched in 2017, the ALRs are designed, owned and operated by the National Oceanography Centre in the UK. One of the many features of ALRs is a shore-launch capability.
Boaty and her fleet-mates are part of the UK National Marine Equipment Pool operated and maintained by the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. The ALRs can contain or carry a wide range of oceanographic instruments and sensors to gather data to help understand ocean current and activity, and ultimately the Earth's climate.