en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Bull
2 corrections found
In January 1962 the first test shot was carried out
The first Barbados HARP test firings were in late January 1963, not January 1962. McGill sources say the gun installation was only completed by January 1963.
Full reasoning
This date is off by a full year.
A McGill Law Journal article on Project HARP states that "the installation of the gun was completed by January 1963" and that "From January 25 to February 1, 1963, the first series of Martlet I vehicles was successfully launched" from Barbados. That means a first Barbados test shot in January 1962 was not possible, because the 16-inch installation was not yet completed.
So the article's claim should be corrected to place the first test shots in January 1963, not January 1962.
1 source
- The Legal Implications of McGill's High Altitude Research Project - McGill Law Journal
From January 25 to February 1, 1963, the first series of Martlet I vehicles was successfully launched... In late 1961 McGill University undertook the program, and the installation of the gun was completed by January 1963.
Project Babylon was stopped when supergun parts were seized by Customs in the United Kingdom in March 1990
The seizure happened after Bull's March 22, 1990 assassination, not in March itself. BBC and contemporary reporting place the UK customs seizure in April 1990.
Full reasoning
The timing here is wrong.
BBC Future's historical account says Gerald Bull was assassinated on March 22, 1990, and that "Two weeks later, UK customs seized supergun components leaving the port of Teesport." Two weeks after March 22 is in April 1990, not March.
Contemporary reporting cited by later histories is consistent with that timeline: the Project Babylon customs seizure became public in April 1990. So stating that the UK seizure happened in March 1990 is inaccurate.
2 sources
- The tragic tale of Saddam Hussein's 'supergun'
On March 22 1990 Bull was shot... After his death, Project Babylon went cold. Two weeks later, UK customs seized supergun components leaving the port of Teesport.
- U.S., Britain Knew of Supergun, Designer Says
The supergun affair became public in April 1990 when British customs officials seized eight segments of precision-tooled tubes...