The research ship we all wanted to call Boaty McBoatface, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, is visiting the Solent today (Monday), and we want to see your photos!

The £200 million polar explorer is heading to the Antarctic in time for Christmas, via a stop-off for refuelling.

Its 30-person crew and up to 60 scientists will be on a six-month deployment, examining the threat of future sea-level rises and dangers for marine biodiversity.

Have you spotted the RRS Sir David Attenborough on its way through the Solent, or from a Portsmouth-bound ferry?

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Isle of Wight County Press:

Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of British Antarctic Survey which operates the ship, said the mission will focus on the west Antarctic ice sheet.

Professor Francis said: "If that ice sheet does melt, it holds about 3 to 5 metres of global sea level rise. What happens in Antarctica won’t just stay in Antarctica, it will affect us all."

Although the organisation ruled against the name that topped a public poll, one of its robotic submarines was called Boaty McBoatface instead.

Isle of Wight County Press: The RRS Sir David Attenborough is at anchor in Portsmouth Harbour.The RRS Sir David Attenborough is at anchor in Portsmouth Harbour. (Image: AIS Marine.)