On a clear spring day this May, while travelling in Shetland, we caught a fleeting glimpse of something extraordinary — a small, weathered boat docked quietly in a harbour, its white hull rippling gently against the quay. It wasn’t just any vessel. This was the last surviving Shetland Bus boat still afloat, visiting as part of the VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations. A living link to one of the most daring and unsung operations of the Second World War — the Shetland Bus.
The boat, still seaworthy after all these years, was on her 2025 heritage voyage, retracing the route that once ran, in darkness and silence, across some of the most treacherous seas in Europe. From the rugged coast of Norway to the safety of Shetland, and now heading onward to Scotland again, this final journey was both a tribute and a reminder: of bravery, of loss, and of the quiet heroism of those who worked the Shetland Bus.
What Was the Shetland Bus?
The Shetland Bus was the nickname given to a secret wartime operation that ran from 1941 to 1945, ferrying Norwegian resistance fighters, refugees, weapons, and supplies between Nazi-occupied Norway and the relative safety of Britain.
Operating out of Lunna and later Scalloway in Shetland, a fleet of small Norwegian fishing boats — manned by a mix of Norwegians and British commandos — would set out under cover of night across the North Sea. Their mission was dangerous in every sense: avoiding German patrols, surviving winter gales, and navigating blind across 200 miles of open water with no radar, no lights, and no room for error.
The crews, often just young men with little more than a compass and courage, brought out hundreds of refugees, including families and children, and delivered resistance agents, radios, explosives, and hope into the heart of occupied Norway.
The name “Shetland Bus” came from the constant traffic — boats coming and going, often under incredible secrecy — like a night bus route with no timetable and every journey a gamble.
A Life-Saving Route with a Heavy Cost
The scale of risk cannot be overstated. Early in the operation, the Shetland Bus boats were mostly unarmed fishing vessels, built for calm fjords, not ocean crossings. Many were sunk by storms or by German aircraft and patrol boats. Dozens of crew members died, and many never returned. Still, the operation pressed on, growing more sophisticated and receiving support from the British Special Operations Executive.
Later in the war, the fleet was supplemented by three American-made submarine chasers, more seaworthy and better equipped, including the boat we saw in Shetland this year: Hitra. These vessels allowed operations to continue through even the worst winters and enabled more complex missions deep into Norway.
By the end of the war, the Shetland Bus had carried out over 200 missions, ferried more than 400 refugees to safety, and helped lay the foundations for the post-war Norwegian resistance narrative. Yet, even today, outside of Shetland and Norway, few people know about it.
The Shetland Bus Return in 2025
This year, as part of the VE Day 80th anniversary, one of the original Shetland Bus boats — still afloat and beautifully preserved — undertook a commemorative voyage, retracing her historic route. After visiting Shetland in May, she continued on towards the Scottish mainland, stopping at several ports along the way.
Seeing her docked this spring, modest and unassuming, was deeply moving. Unlike a grand battleship or museum relic, this boat had no fanfare, no brass band. Just the quiet lines of a vessel that once cut through darkness, carrying hope, risk, and resistance between two countries bound by bravery.
Onboard were a crew of Norwegians and Scots — descendants, veterans, historians, and volunteers — sharing stories, laying wreaths, and connecting communities. At each stop, they held ceremonies and talks, reminding people that VE Day was not just a celebration, but a time to remember those whose battles were fought in silence and in secrecy.
Where to Learn More
If you’re travelling through Shetland, you can explore the history of the Shetland Bus at the Shetland Museum in Lerwick, or better yet, at the Scalloway Museum, where a permanent exhibition tells the full story — complete with photographs, uniforms, and accounts from those who made the crossings.
At Lunna House, on Shetland’s east coast, you can still visit the original headquarters of the operation. This quiet, stately home was the first base for the Bus crews, chosen for its hidden harbour and remote location. Standing on its windswept shore, it’s easy to picture the boats slipping out under cover of darkness, lanterns extinguished, sea swelling in the moonlight.
Why It Still Matters
The Shetland Bus is more than a tale of wartime daring. It is a story of ordinary people who did extraordinary things — farmers and fishermen who risked everything for others. It is also a story of two countries, Norway and Scotland, bound by sea, by hardship, and by solidarity in the face of tyranny.
In 2025, watching that boat tied up in a quiet Shetland harbour, we felt something timeless. The creak of its lines in the wind, the curve of its hull — these are not just relics of history, but reminders of the cost of peace, and the courage it took to get there.
Help us to guide you though Scotland. Lots of other blogs available on Shetland like ‘Why visit the amazing Shetland Islands’.
In a world still divided by conflict and uncertainty, the story of the Shetland Bus reminds us what it means to stand together, even when the crossing is rough, and the night long.
Read more in The Shetland Bus by David Howarth.
Help us to guide you though Scotland. Lots of other blogs available on Shetland like ‘Why visit the amazing Shetland Islands’.