Historic cannons airlifted for restoration

The BBC video shows the cannons being lifted off St Michael's Mount by helicopter before being taken away for restoration; the island remains, for now, an island.

On air: Dale Bearman and Hank Ledger on BBN Newsroom
Published 2:48 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Werner Wilmes · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

▶ Short · U.S.

The Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb. More about this Short

Photo: St Michael's Mount — Photo: Werner Wilmes · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by BBC: “Historic cannons airlifted for restoration”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 2:48 PM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Dale Bearman and Hank Ledger; aired 2 times.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

BBCHistoric cannons airlifted for restoration

What BBN said about it

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorOn October fifteenth, twenty twenty-six, the BBC reported that the cannons on St Michael's Mount have been lifted off the island by helicopter.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThe island is now undefended, and I want that on the record.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe cannons were taken away for restoration. They are being cleaned up, not confiscated.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThat is precisely what a defenceless island would say. Centuries of faithful service, and the moment a helicopter turns up, they just let them go.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHas anyone invaded the place with them there?
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorNot recently, which means the cannons were working. Dismantle the deterrent and see what happens.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOr the tide has been doing the job all along, twice a day.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThen the tide is in on it too.

▶ Watch BBN liveMore U.S. →

More Shorts

All videos →

Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
▶ As it aired · U.S.Would I still recommend Toyota's recalled RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid?Read the story
▶ As it aired · U.S.More states confirm letters; a source talks, knows nothingRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.FIFA's Infantino Apologizes: A Gift Card With No StoreAbout this segment
Photo: Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · U.S.Small town Minnesota resident wins $2M Powerball prizeRead the story
Photo: Charles Ommanney – Office of the Governor of California · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · U.S.Newsom and Schwarzenegger toast 20 years of cap-and-investRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.NBA's Six New Coaches: One Will Draw a Play on a NapkinAbout this segment
▶ As it aired · U.S.Creators say saying 'pregnancy' on Instagram gets them penalisedRead the story
▶ As it aired · U.S.Test footage shows a SkyFall-style helicopter lifting off indoorsRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.Amazon Acetaminophen Recall: Shaking the Bottle Is Not InspectionAbout this segment
Photo: Microchip08 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · U.S.How Trump Is Trying to Assert Control Over the ElectionRead the story