Today's title goes to the unnamed Canadian serviceman who caused a certain amount of consternation and monkeyhouse at a New Brunswick military base.
Military police are investigating what caused the gun of a tank to unexpectedly fire a blank round at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick, injuring 11 people.
The incident happened on May 26 at about 4 p.m. when a Leopard C2 tank was inside a maintenance shelter for repairs, base spokeswoman Stephanie Duchesne said Monday.
"While the tank was inside this shelter, the main gun discharged unexpectedly," she said, noting it was "a negligent discharge" of a blank round. That means it occurred accidentally, or due to human or mechanical error.
. . .
Ten Canadian Forces members and one civilian employee were inside the shelter when the tank discharged. They were treated in a nearby hospital and released the same day.
"They were suffering minor injury to the eardrums," she said.
There's more at the link.
'Minor injury to the eardrums'? Yes, I'm sure . . . not to mention a sudden need for clean underwear! I've been around accidental discharges with handguns and rifles. I reckon a 120mm. tank cannon going off without warning, indoors, would make all of them sound tame by comparison!
Peter
3 comments:
Something tells I that is is not going to to be punished the same way an ND with a small arm is.
How did that round make it off the range, and then into the shop? Surely they're supposed to look.
Jim
I was in an observation tower that was about twenty feet above and 30 feet behind a tank range. I got to watch a 105mm gun as it fired several times(at night-way cool). The wind from the muzzle blast was like sticking your head out of a car window at around 40mph - brisk... A 120mm inside a room would be painful to say the least.
Possibly- likely I'd think- permanent hearing damage. That would be- well, 'bloody awful' just doesn't really cover it.
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