In the wee hours of February 20, the day the ferry sailed with the heavy water,
Knut Haukelid and two companions slipped aboard the vessel, affixed a long tube
of plastic charge in the bow belowdecks, and retreated. The charge was set to
go off roughly 45 minutes after the ferry left the dock at 10 a.m., to ensure
the boat had reached deep water. As this message of Skinnarland's three days
later declares, the operation was a success—save for the loss of 14
innocent lives.