The world-famous Sir David Attenborough research ship, formerly known as 'Boaty McBoatface', has been spotted sailing under the Forth Rail Bridge.
A crowd gathered to watch the vessel on its way out of Scotland on Monday night having undergone multi-million pound refitting work at Rosyth Dockyard.
The Royal Research ship arrived in the UK in June after a seven-month mission in Antarctica. It is now moving onto its next expedition to Essex after carrying out scientific trials on the Scottish coast.
Robin Cook, 69, from Inverkeithing in Fife, was part of the crowd that gathered to take pictures of the boat in North Queensferry. He told the Record: "My house looks over the dockyard and the boat has been docked there for a while getting a refurbishment. I realised it was leaving and thought I would rush down to get some pictures of it coming under the bridges.
"I wasn't the only person with the same idea though and there were people coming from all around the Forth to take photos. "There was really quite a crowd but of course it is a world-famous ship after getting recognition as Boaty McBoatface.
"It was quite a sight and it was a great day for me as I got to see the Flying Scotman rolling past on the same day!"
The ship made headlines in March 2016 when the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) launched an online poll encouraging members of the public to help name a new polar research ship.
'It's Bloody Cold Here', 'I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie' and 'What Iceberg' all became part of the naming suggestions. However, one particular name stood out like no other: Boaty McBoatface.
After winning the public vote hands down, the NERC said it would 'review all of the suggested names'. But a final decision was made that the new ship would be known as (RRS) Sir David Attenborough.
RRS Sir David Attenborough is part of the UK’s fleet of scientific research vessels. The three ships are involved in some of the most pressing global research across the globe, visiting polar regions and tropical oceans.
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