History / Calls to save historic Shetland Bus boat from the scrapheap
ONE of the fishing boats used in the World War II Shetland Bus operation looks set to be scrapped in Norway – but efforts have begun to explore whether she could be saved.
Shipbreakers Fosen Gjenvinning said Vita could be scrapped in less than one month. It is understood that some parts have already been taken off the boat.
The Norwegian museum which owns Vita said it has not been able to raise enough money to continue to keep the boat in its collection.
The news has sparked a call from some with an interest in the Shetland Bus story to try to save the boat, which is still floating, from the scrap – if it is feasible.
Cally Fleming, from Mull, is hoping that the Vita’s demise could be at least postponed – even for just one week – while more investigations can take place into the boat’s condition.
While she is well aware there is a vast cost to restoring and maintaining historic boats, Fleming also wants to see what appetite there may be from interested parties from both sides of the North Sea in forming a group to potentially take on the vessel and to help fundraise.
A first step is to get a hold of surveys of the boat – which is owned by the Kystmuseet museum on the west cost of Norway – to see what condition it is in.
“I’m currently meeting and getting advice from experienced boat restorers and builders,” Fleming said.
She has history in the matter, having helped to raise £1 million in the past to restore and run a 54ft research vessel in the West of Scotland – although Fleming concedes that it was probably easier to raise large funds whilst the UK was in Europe.
Fleming also has a keen interest in the subject matter, particularly in the collaboration and connections between Scotland, Shetland and Norway during WW2 and is taking 40 Norwegians on a World War II “resistance tour” around Scotland in September.
This will include places where Norwegians arrived and trained before many took the Shetland Bus back to Norway to help with sabotage and the resistance there.
Fleming said a friend involved in boat restoration, whose dad was on the Shetland Bus operation during the war, is set to head to Norway soon to look at Vita.
“I’m just interested to see if there are any options left,” she said. “She’s actually on death row at the moment – she’s been towed to the salvage yard, and lined up for breaking up.”
Jørgen Fjeldvær of the Kystmuseet museum said the boat was originally due to be scrapped in 1990.
“We have kept the vessel afloat for over 34 years longer than was intended,” he said.
“After a process where we have considered several solutions and offered them to other players in Norway, we have unfortunately ended up with the vessel being scrapped.
“We have not been able to achieve enough finances to continue to have the vessel in our collection and believe that the nation of Norway must prioritise the remaining civilian Shetland vessels including Heland and Andholmen which are in good condition.”
The Shetland Bus operation played a crucial role during the World War II German occupation of Norway.
Under the cover of darkness, small boats – collectively known as the Shetland Bus – ferried people and weapons between Shetland and Norway, with Scalloway ending up being used as the operational base after initially starting at Catfirth before moving to Lunna.
It first operated using fishing boats, but not all of those trips were successful, and 44 lives were lost during the crossings. However, the introduction of sub-chaser ships in 1943 brought an end to the fatalities.
In total more than 200 missions were carried out by the end of the war.
The Kystmuseet museum website says the 17.42 metre Vita was built in 1939 in Norway.
A year later and the boat was drafted into the Shetland Bus operation, with its first trip to Shetland in May 1940.
She was one of the first boats used to escape Norway after the German invasion there in 1940. Vita was skippered by Ingvald Johansen for most of her journeys.
She undertook eight trips to Norway but was captured by Germans in 1941, with her crew imprisoned for four years. However, the refugees Vita was carrying managed to escape.
She was then put into use as a guard boat, meaning she actually served both sides of the war.
Vita was later found in Kristiansund in poor condition and restored, reverting back to her original purpose of fishing.
In the 1980s Vita was sold under the new name Thule, and operated as a fishing boat for a few more years. In the early 1990s she was declared worthy of conservation by the authorities, and had to be owned by a museum or foundation.
Since then, further restoration work was carried out to Vita but in more recent years her condition has faltered, leading to the move to scrap her.
The history of the Shetland Bus operation is still keenly felt in Scalloway, from the memorial which overlooks the sea and recently restored Prince Olav slipway to the exhibits in the village’s museum.
However, Scalloway Museum curator Laurie Goodlad said the reality of boat restoration is that projects come with very high costs.
“It’s always very sad to see a piece of history lost, but the sad reality is that keeping boats is a very expensive business, and unfortunately there’s less and less money around to help preserve, store and maintain them,” she said.
“We are very lucky here in Scalloway to have recently restored the Prince Olav slipway, and we were very fortunate to receive donations and grants to achieve this, preserving an important piece of Scalloway’s wartime history.”
Nevertheless, Fleming believes there is “no harm in asking questions” and is keen to raise awareness of the plight of Vita in both Shetland and Norway.
Anyone interested in supporting Fleming to help save the Vita is asked to contact her on 07795 177571 or callyfleming@gmail.com.
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