When first told about NUEX’s intended expedition to Lake Tinnsjo, the townspeople of the region rose in angry protest. Though the war had been over for well over forty years, there were many still alive in the area who had lived through the Nazi occupation. They were very content to forget all about those nightmarish times, and looked at any attempt to salvage the sunken ferry as an intrusion on their privacy.
The members of NUEX had argued that it was their historical duty to find the wreck once and for all. Of course, to convince the state-run organization that sponsored them to support their efforts, another line of reasoning was used. Beyond the historical significance of their expedition was the fact that the Hydro’s cargo was worth a virtual fortune in today’s marketplace. They argued successfully that if the thirty-three drums of heavy water were still intact, that they could subsequently be sold for over five million dollars. The executives at Noroil couldn’t ignore such a figure, and deciding that it was worth the risks involved, gave the project their blessing.
It was in high school when Jon first read about the attack on the Hydro. The incident inflamed his imagination, inspiring him to read other narratives regarding his people’s daring exploits during World War II. Yet because of the significance of the Hydro’s cargo, this mission stood out in importance above all the others. To him it was the crowning point of the Norwegian underground’s undeclared war against the Germans, and could have very possibly saved the entire world from Nazi domination as well.
The key ingredient to manufacturing an atomic bomb was heavy water. A totally harmless compound on its own, heavy water gained importance when it was learned that it was an exceptionally efficient moderator for slowing down neutrons in a uranium pile. This enabled the neutrons to collide with and split up uranium235 atoms, until the reaction would sustain itself and thus make possible an atomic explosion.
What few people realized was that most of the early research into nuclear physics was done in Germany during the 1930’s and early 40’s. In fact, the Germans were only months away from producing a working prototype of a bomb, and had only one major ingredient lacking — heavy water. Since the Norsk Hydro plant was the only facility in the world making that substance at the time, the Nazis decided to occupy Norway with all due haste.
They did so without much difficulty, and every effort was made to produce the great amounts of heavy water needed by German scientists to initiate that first self-sustaining atomic reaction.
By this time the Allies had their own atomic research projects going. Intelligence operatives closely monitored the Nazi effort, and when it looked like they were about to win this critical race, commando teams were sent into Norway to destroy the heavy water stocks before they reached Germany. After several failed attempts ended in tragedy, a group finally succeeded in penetrating the plant and blowing up much of these existing stocks. But the Nazis ordered them replenished, and in early 1944 the final load was packed up in drums, loaded onto a freight car, to be sent off to Germany.
Thanks to a daring operation in which a Norwegian commando team hid a time bomb in the Hydro’s hull, the shipment only made it as far as the bottom of Lake Tinnsjo. The rest was history.
Proud to play a part in the final chapter of this incredible story, Jon Huslid prepared his Nikon for the moment when the first cannister popped to the surface.
Hopefully, it and the others that would follow would still be sealed. His country would then have a liquid treasure on its hands, to do with as it pleased.
Barely aware of the distant chopping sound of a far-off helicopter, Jon’s attention was caught by a deep, familar voice behind him.
“Knut’s got the collar in place, and Arne’s started up the compressor. The drum should be surfacing off our port side, any moment now.”
Jakob Helgesend joined his associate beside the boat’s stern railing. The Lapp was dressed in a full black rubber wet suit, that had NUEX stenciled on its back with bold white letters.
“I’ll go over the side as soon as it shows itself,” he added.
“That way I can make certain the collar is firmly in place when you throw me the winch cable.”
The characteristic clatter of the helicopter seemed to intensify, and Jon briefly scanned the blue sky in an effort to locate it. His examination was cut short by a booming voice that emanated from below deck.
“It’s on its way up!”
The photographer’s pulse quickened as he returned his glance to the waters off their port side. No sooner did he pull off his camera’s len se cap than the surface of the lake erupted in a frothing circle of agitated white bubbles. Just as he snapped off the first picture, the drum responsible for this wake shot out of the depths in which it had been buried and smacked back into the blue waters with a resounding slap.
Without hesitation, Jakob plunged into the icy water to stabilize the cannister. Jon was able to continue his picture taking when Arne arrived topside to handle the winch cable. He was so engrossed in this process that he didn’t even notice the helicopter that was now circling the boat, only a few hundred meters above them.
“What do you make of that chopper, Jon?” asked Arne, who now had to practically scream to be heard.
Only then was Jon aware that they no longer shared this historical moment among themselves.
“Don’t pay attention to it, Arne!” he yelled.
“It’s most likely just a bunch of journalists who are trying to scoop the competition.
We’d better concentrate on getting that line out to
Jakob before we lose our treasure before we even have it” With a mighty heave, Arne hurled the steel cable out into the nearby waters. Jakob had to swim over to reach it. Then began the tedious job of securely wrapping it around the bobbing cannister so that they could finally haul it aboard.
Jakob was well into this task, when the loud amplified voice of a woman boomed out from above.
“Hello NUEX, this is Karl Skollevoll! I’ve got a top-priority dispatch for you from the Chief. Sorry to crash your party, but I’m dropping it down to you now.”
Clearly audible even from the water, this unexpected message caused Jakob to temporarily abandon his efforts and look up into the sky. He watched with astonishment as a familiar orange and white Bell 212 helicopter swept down from the sky and hovered only a few meters above their boat. It was from the main hatch of this vehicle that a small container was lowered on a thin guide wire. Arne was the one who retrieved it, and as he waved the container overhead, the helicopter dipped its nose and, following orders, shot off to land on the nearest shoreline.
Jakob turned back to the drum, and had just completed securing it with the winch cable, when jon could be seen on the boat’s stern madly waving for him to return.
Jakob wasted no time fulfilling this request, climbing back on board to be met by a thick terry cloth towel and the typed dispatch that had just been delivered them. He quickly read it.
“Most urgent that you return at once to the Falcon. This is a top-priority request. Magne Rystaad.”
After hurriedly rereading this message, Jakob handed it back to NUEX’s disappointed chief photographer.
“Do you believe Magne’s rotten timing?” stated Jon disgustedly.
“Maybe if he knows our progress, he’d let us finish up here before returning to the Falcon,” suggested Jakob.
“If the rest of the drums are as easy to locate as this one was, we could have the whole job done in a day at most.”
Jon shook his head.
“Nice thought, but you know the Chief better than that. He wouldn’t send Karl out here for us in the chopper unless he was damn serious.”
By this time Knut had joined them on the stern. A good five inches taller than his coworkers, the team’s engineer read the dispatch and then looked out to the secured drum that now floated off their port beam.