Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 22 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
BBC News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Science
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
- Published
The purpose and function of a mysterious concrete ring at a former military testing site has been uncovered, the National Trust said.
asserted
Trust → publish → site
The 50m (164ft) ring at Orford Ness, Suffolk, had baffled staff and volunteers at the coastal nature reserve since the trust acquired the site in 1993.
However, it said the mystery was solved after researchers Steve Clifton and Olaf Kirchner discovered the ring was part of a radar known as the R-System - designed to detect nuclear explosions and rocket launches during the Cold War.
asserted
ring → baffle → War
The pair met the creator of the R-System in the United States, who confirmed the ring was part of the system, but he had no idea it had been set up in England, the trust added.
asserted
trust → meet → England
A large part of Orford Ness was purchased by the War Department in 1913 and was closely guarded to prevent public access.
asserted
part → purchase → access
Over the years, top-secret experiments were carried out for both World Wars and into the nuclear age.
asserted
experiments → carry → age
Today it is a 10-mile (16km) vegetated shingle spit, joined to the mainland just south of Aldeburgh, and is also home to a large colony of grey seals.
asserted
it → vegetate → seals
The concrete ring was built by the US Air Force in the early 1960s and supported a steerable helical transmitter that could detect activity from thousands of miles away, the trust said.
uncertain
trust → build → miles
It believed only eight of these rings were constructed around the world, but by the end of the 1960s the technology was phased out and replaced by satellites.
asserted
technology → believe → satellites
Clifton and Kirchner first visited Orford Ness in 2018 and later joined the International Research Group Orford Ness to research the site.
asserted
Clifton → visit → site
In 2020, they began looking at the ring and contacted 94-year-old Ed Lyon, the creator of the R-System.
asserted
they → begin → System
In October last year, the pair travelled to Maryland in the US to visit Lyon, who shared valuable photographic and video evidence from 60 years earlier.
asserted
who → travel → evidence
"It turned out that Ed himself had no idea that this radar system had been set up in England," Kirchner said.
"He had to get security clearance to talk to us about it, and we listened in awe for over two hours, getting first-hand accounts of Cold War intelligence gathering systems.
asserted
we → turn → systems
While out in the US, the pair were able to visit two rings, including one in Roswell, New Mexico, which was compared with the one in Orford Ness.
asserted
which → visit → Ness
No one on the site had any knowledge about the purpose of the rings, but their orientation and other details were similar to those on Orford Ness, Kirchner said.
asserted
Kirchner → say → Ness
"Due to the extreme secrecy under which they worked, people on Orford Ness never spoke of their projects and often took their details to their grave," Kirchner continued.
"
asserted
Kirchner → work → grave
While the reports covering their work are now mostly declassified, finding them is often difficult."
asserted
finding → cover → them
Angus Wainwright, regional archaeologist for the National Trust's East of England region, said the structure had always intrigued him.
asserted
structure → say → him
"Like all the places we care for, our understanding of what happened on Orford Ness is constantly evolving," he said.
asserted
he → care → Ness
"Research is important to us, and we are always trying to further our understanding.
asserted
we → try → understanding
"Years ago, I quizzed some Orford veterans who worked in the building next door while the structure was operating, and they didn't know what it was for.
asserted
it → quiz → what
"It's only through the tenacity of these researchers that its secret function has now been revealed.
asserted
function → reveal → researchers
Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk?
asserted
you → have → Suffolk
The Aporia
