boaty mcboatface is the lead boat of the autosub long-range class of autonomous underwater vehicles (auvs). it is used for scientific research and is carried on the research vessel rrs "sir david attenborough". "boaty mcboatface" is owned by the natural environment research council (nerc) and operated by the british antarctic survey (bas). because of its complexity and its extended range, nerc classifies it as an autosub long range autonomous vehicle.