Duen's Journey: 1939-1970

The History Of The Vessel

RE:  1940’s history of the ‘Shetland Bus Operations’ which Duen was involved with
Sent  to us by  Peter Campbell


“The Shetland Bus Operations was the name given to the World War II operations from Shetland to Norway which took members of the Norwegian resistance out of Norway to Shetland and from the base in Shetland crossed the North Sea to land saboteurs, radio operators etc into occupied Norway.  There were many vessels, mostly fishing boats, that were used to bring out refugees and many made it to Shetland as it was the nearest landfall, although some made landfall in the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland. The Shetland Bus operation used fishing boats as they were easier to acquire and to infiltrate back into Norway, until following severe loss of life in 1943, the operation received 3 high speed US submarine chasers, one of which, the Hirta, still survives and has been restored to its 1940s condition.  There is two of the fishing boats used in operations which still exist to my knowledge, one being the Hjelland.”

 

norway