VE Day anniversary: Flotilla to cross North Sea in honour of 'Shetland Bus' heroes

A peacetime convoy of former Second World War vessels will cross the North Sea next month to honour unsung British and Norwegian heroes as part of the the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The flotilla of fishing boats and a merchant ship will cross from Bergen to Lerwick in Shetland before heading to Kirkwall, Orkney and then to Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The convoy is running in tribute to those who smuggled special forces soldiers, secret agents and freedom fighters to Nazi-occupied Norway, along with explosives, weapons and radios for the resistance movement.

Small Norwegian fishing vessels , which were fitted out with light machine guns, were deployed for the maneuvers across the North Sea, where those on board endured night sailings in often horrific sea states and weather conditions. Local knowledge in Orkney, Shetland and also Peterhead assisted the crossings and on the return journeys, sailors brought back refugees and soldiers.

Merchant ship D/S Hestmanden which formed part of the flotilla of "Shetland Bus" vessels used for secret operations during the Second World War . It will cross the North Sea from Norway to Scotland to remember the unsung heroes of the crossings as part of VE Day commemorations next month. The fishing boats and merchant ship were used to smuggle special forces soldiers and secret agents from Shetland to Nazi-occupied Norway. PIC: Hilfred Mikalsen/PA Wire | Hilfred Mikalsen/PA Wire

The route, which was crossed amid constant threat of discovery by German submarines and aircraft, was famously dubbed the ‘Shetland Bus’ by the Norwegian sailors and British soldiers who took part in the operation.

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A number of small boats originally used during the Second World War have been brought together once again for The Liberation Convoy, which will leave Bergen and spend the VE Day anniversary - May 8 - in Shetland, where a number of events and receptions are planned.

The flotilla will then head to Kirkwall for May 17 before part of the fleet sails to Aberdeen and Edinburgh as it works its way down the east coast.

The Andholmen - one of the Norwegian fishing boats used in the Shetland Bus crossings which will form part of the flotilla that will cross the North Sea once again as part of the 80th anniversary of VE Day. PIC: Contributed. | Contributed

Per Ola Holm, the skipper of MK Andholmen, one of the vessels used for missions to Shetland, as well as Orkney and mainland Scotland, said: “Ordinary Norwegians were trained as special forces soldiers in both England and Scotland.

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“Many went on to crew the Shetland Bus vessels as they dodged German submarines and war planes during their dangerous missions, or they returned home on sabotage missions and to fight the occupying Nazi regime.

“Everyone who crewed those small boats and ships taking the route knew they were risking their lives, but the fragile link it provided between the Shetland Islands, the Orkneys and occupied Norway was just too important.”

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Captain Jack Cowie, of the Gordon Highlanders, served as the liaison officer for Norwegian fishing boats in transit to and from Shetland through Aberdeen. PIC: Courtesy of Cowie family. | Contributed

Lord Lieutenant of Shetland, Lindsay Tullock, said the convoy was a “fitting recognition” of the alliance between Norway and the UK, and of Shetland’s special role in the top-secret operations.

Mr Tullock said: "As we commemorate and give thanks to those who were lost, we remember also the resilience of the men and women involved in the liberation of Norway and Europe. The arrival of the Liberation Convoy in Shetland will be an opportunity to acknowledge the long-standing alliance between the people of Shetland, the rest of the United Kingdom and Norway.

“People of Shetland have vivid memories and recollections of the covert Shetland Bus operations during the Second World War. The enduring relationship between Shetland and Norway has strengthened over the years and will continue to do so as we join together in Remembrance on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.”

Another vessel from the convoy is the merchant ship D/S Hestmanden, which served as part of the Norwegian fleet and operated from the UK throughout the Second World War to help secure supplies of medicine, food and fuel, as well as ammunition and weapons to aid the Allies’ resistance.

Captain Jack Cowie of the Gordon Highlanders was the liaison officer for Norwegian fishing boats in transit to and from Shetland through Aberdeen.

Norwegian historian Ragnhild Bie, who will serve as crew onboard the Hestmanden, said: “The UK generously welcomed our royal family and government in exile after the Nazis invaded, and throughout the war some 30,000 Norwegian war sailors served the Allied resistance alongside Britain’s own mariners.

“Some 4,500 war sailors lost their lives and countless others endured psychological and physical traumas that affected them and their families long after the war had ended.”