Between 1940 and 1944, a series of sabotage actions by the Norwegian resistance movement and Allied bombing ensured the destruction of the plant and the loss of its heavy water. ... Norwegian resistance forces then sank the ferry carrying the heavy water, the SF Hydro, on Lake Tinn.
Who destroyed the heavy water?
When the Nazis captured a heavy water facility in Norway, the chemist who helped design the plant took action. On February 27, 1942, nine saboteurs scaled a cliff in the middle of the night to blow up a Nazi-controlled heavy water plant in Norway.
Why did Norway have a heavy water plant?
Though the plant’s original purpose had been the production of electricity and fertilizer, the German occupiers were capitalizing on the facility’s ability to collect large amounts of heavy-water— a key ingredient in the Nazi effort to develop an atomic bomb.
Is The Heroes of Telemark a true story?
The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from Skis Against the Atom , the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid.
Is the heavy water war a true story?
This is the true story (for the most part; some invented characters) of the Allied struggle during WWII to destroy the heavy water plant in Norway in order to cripple the Nazi atom bomb program.
Where does heavy water occur naturally?
Producing heavy water requires advanced infrastructure, and heavy water is actively produced in Argentina, Canada, India, and Norway . The largest plant was the Bruce Plant in Canada, but has shut down.
How much does a gallon of heavy water weigh?
The answer is simple; a gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds . The imperial gallon of water is defined as 10.02 pounds at its maximum density while the weight of the US dry gallon of water is defined as 9.71 pounds.
How many died on the Telemark ferry?
The weakest link was the journey by train ferry over the Tinnsjø lake. An explosion in the bow sank the “Hydro” on 20 February 1944, and ended the last chapter in the story of heavy water in Norway. The sinking of the “Hydro” cost four Germans and 14 Norwegians their lives.
Did the King of Norway survive WWII?
His refusal to submit when a German-pressured Storting body asked him to abdicate inspired the Norwegians to resist the German occupation during World War II. Haakon VII returned from exile in England to Norway in June 1945. He continued in the high esteem of his people until his death.
Where was the heavy water plant in Norway?
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was aimed at the 60 MW Vemork power station at the Rjukan waterfall in Telemark . The hydroelectric power plant at Vemork was built in 1934. It was the world’s first site to mass-produce heavy water (as a byproduct of nitrogen fixing), with a capacity of 12 tonnes per year.
Why did Germany invade Norway?
On April 8–9, 1940, Germany invaded Norway. Germany sought to secure naval bases for use against the British fleet in the North Sea and to guarantee vital iron-ore shipments from neutral Sweden . Despite British attempts to help, Norway surrendered to Germany on June 10.
Who helped build the vemork facility?
The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world’s largest power plant with a capacity of 108 MW.
Does heavy water taste different?
Indeed, highly purified heavy water has a distinctly sweeter taste than same-purity normal water and can add to perceived sweetness of sweeteners. In contrast, mice do not prefer D 2 O over H 2 O, indicating that they are not likely to perceive heavy water as sweet.
Can you swim in heavy water?
Deuterium oxide has properties that are quite different from light water, the normal water we deal with every day. ... The water column above any given spot of ocean would suddenly be roughly 10.6 percent heavier . Anything swimming outside of its pressure envelope would literally be crushed.
Does heavy water ice float or sink?
Ice floats on water because it is less dense, but ice of a special kind can be denser than normal water. ... Heavy water is indeed heavier than normal water (which contains a tiny amount of heavy water molecules naturally), and heavy -water ice will sink in normal water .
