By Jorn Madslien
The only Norwegian merchant ship to have survived both world wars has returned to Scotland for the first time since the mid-60s.
D/S Hestmanden has come to honour the memory and celebrate the achievements of the 30,000 Norwegian war sailors who made Britain home after the Nazis occupied Norway.
‘The UK generously welcomed our Royal Family and government in exile after the Nazis occupied Norway. The first thing they did, via a BBC World Service news bulletin, was to invite the Norwegian merchant fleet to join them,’ said war historian Ragnhild Bie, whose two grandfathers were both war sailors.
Some 1,000 vessels were registered with The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission in London, making it the world’s largest shipping company. This merchant fleet made a huge contribution to the Allied war effort, shipping medicines, food and fuel, as well as ammunition, weapons and soldiers across oceans infested with German submarines and under constant threat from the Third Reich’s fighter planes.
The costs were enormous. On average, a Norwegian merchant vessel was lost every fourth day throughout WW2.
‘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,’ said Bie, who is serving as crew onboard Hestmanden, which has been turned into a floating war sailors museum.
Hestmanden arrived in Scotland in time to mark VE Day in the Shetland Islands, as the flagship of The Liberation Convoy that crossed from Norway to honour unsung heroes and to express gratitude to Britain. The convoy included four restored fishing boats that were used to evacuate refugees and fugitives from Nazi-occupied Norway, and to smuggle agents, explosives and radios to aid the Norwegian resistance movement.
The operation, which became known as the Shetland Bus, was a part of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s secret Special Operations Executive (SOE).
‘Shetland Bus is a testament to the enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and Norway,’ said Brigadier Andy Muddiman ADC RM, Naval Regional Commander Scotland and Northern Ireland.
‘From the darkest days of WW2 to the present, we have undertaken the most daunting and perilous tasks together. It is important that this partnership continues in the face of present day threats.’
The Norwegian War Sailors Museum Hestmanden will be in Aberdeen until 24 May, when it will depart for the Port of Leith and the Scottish capital. The ship will welcome visitors and school classes every day. Entry is free. In return, the ship’s captain and crew have been invited to The Scottish Parliament, the Palace of Hollyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle.
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