A barrel that originally contained heavy water from the legendary sabotage action at Rjukan in Telemark, Norway during the WWII was donated to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on November 18, 2006.
A barrel that originally contained heavy water from Norsk Hydro's plant at Rjukan in the county of Telemark, Norway was donated to The National World War II Museum in New Orleans during a ceremony at The International World War II Conference on November 18, 2006.The old and rusty barrel, sent to the bottom of Lake Tinnsjø by Norwegian resistance fighters in 1944 and brought up in 2004 by underwater archeologists, was received by the Museum's president and CEO Gordon H. Mueller and by the Chairman of the Museum's Board of Trustees, California's former governor Pete Wilson.
- It hard to rank artifacts. They are all so special, particulary if they have a great story behind them. But this one ranks right up there, Director Mueller said in his speech. The barrel will get a special place near the front entrance of the museum.
The story of the Norwegian heavy water saboteurs is a legendary story. The Hydro facilities at Rjukan for production of heavy water had been sabotaged and bombed by the Norwegian resistance and by the allies to prevent Nazi-Germany from developing a nuclear bomb. One day in early 1944 the last 29 barrels of heavy water from the plant were on board the ferry HYDRO on Lake Tinnsjø on its way to Germany when Norwegian saboteurs went into action and sank the ferry.
The dramatic actions in Telemark have been the subject of a Hollywood movie with Kirk Douglas called "Heroes of Telemark". In recent years a new dramatization of the story has also been shown on National Geographic Channel and other US TV channels.
The ferry was located at about 1200 feet (430 meters) by Jonny Skogstad and Thor Olav Sperre in 1993. Both Skogstad and Sperre are from Telemark, Norway. Eleven years later - using a highly specialised underwater vessel - they managed to bring up a barrel which was intact and contained heavy water.
Both Skogstad and Sperre attended the ceremony at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans together with representatives from Norsk Hydro and from the foundation ProMare, Texas. The Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Norwegian Consulate General in Houston was represented by Consul General Svein Holst Andreassen.
Founded by the American historian Stephen Ambrose, The US National World War II Museum was established in 2000 and was located in New Orleans because it was here that Andrew Higgins built the landing crafts used in the amphibious invasions during World War II, including the Normandy invasion in 1944.