‘Shetland Bus' convoy greeted with floating salute as it arrives in Lerwick
A convoy of ships that retraced a route used for secret operations during the Second World War has arrived in Shetland after sailing from Norway.
The Liberation Convoy, which followed the journey made by the so-called 'Shetland Bus' during the war, was greeted with a floating salute as it arrived in Lerwick on Tuesday night.
The Shetland Bus vessels were used to smuggle special forces soldiers and secret agents from Shetland to Nazi-occupied Norway.
They also carried weapons, explosives and radios for the resistance movement and, on their return journeys, brought refugees and soldiers escaping from the Nazis.
The Hestmanden was part of the Shetland Bus convoy that arrived in Lerwick on Tuesday (Dave Donaldson/PA)
The recreation of events this year honoured the 80th anniversary of VE Day which will take place on May 8, with vessels firing water jets into the air in celebration of the historic victory in Europe.
ADVERTISEMENT
The vessels included: the Hestmanden, the Erkna, the Andholmen, the Heland and the Arnefjord which were used for missions during the war.
Sailors described this week's voyage as choppy, having left Bergen, Norway, early on Monday morning.
On board, passengers enjoyed champagne while a trumpet player heralded the arrival on Tuesday evening in Lerwick.
src='https://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2025/05/07104420/c4205619-abe0-45a2-b19f-1a55e7c0fcfd.jpg' alt='' width='3800″ height='5700″ /> A passenger aboard one of the Norwegian vessels (Dave Donaldson/PA)[/caption]
The convoy was organised by a group of volunteers, maritime enthusiasts, wartime historians, museums and various other groups.
The project was supported by the Norwegian ministry of defence, the Norwegian navy, the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce and a number of charitable foundations and companies.
Members of the public will be invited onboard the vessels for memorial services and events over the next few days.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Travelodge weighed down by weaker London demand and surging costs
Travelodge has revealed a slump in profits for the past six months after it was impacted by weaker demand in London and soaring labour costs. The hotel group also revealed a dip in revenues but bosses said it reflected a 'solid' half-year in the face of 'challenging' market conditions. The firm, which operates about 610 hotels, saw revenues slip by 3.2% to £471.3 million for the six months to June 30, compared with the same period last year. Travelodge said this was linked to 'softer market demand, particularly in Greater London'. Bosses said the group was impacted by a quieter events schedule over the first half of the year, despite boosts from the Six Nations Rugby, Radio One Weekend in Liverpool and the Grand National over the first half. Chief executive Jo Boydell told the PA news agency has already seen a benefit from events in the second half of 2025, including from Oasis' reunion gigs, Coldplay concerts and bookings for the Women's Rugby World Cup. The hospitality company said it has seen 'improved trading conditions' in recent weeks, with revenues up 4% year-on-year for the third quarter of 2025 to date. This has been supported by 'solid' trading in London and the regions, as well as positive forward booking. It comes as Travelodge pushes forward with a major development programme which saw it open 11 new hotels so far this year, with at least nine more expected by the end of 2025. On Thursday, it also reported earnings of £47.3 million for the half-year, sliding from £82.1 million a year earlier. Travelodge said this was linked to the fall in UK revenues and industry-wide cost inflation. It also came under pressure from a jump in labour costs linked to the Government's previous autumn budget, with increases to the national minimum wage and national insurance contributions (Nics) coming into force in April. Ms Boydell said: 'Demand was softer in the first half, particularly in Greater London, and event phasing has shifted more activity into the second half of the year. 'Profits were impacted by approximately £20 million of inflationary cost increases, including around £9 million from national living wage uplifts and additional national insurance costs. 'Despite these headwinds, our diversified business and leisure customer base supported strong occupancy of over 82%, and the performance of our Spanish business was a particular highlight, delivering strong revenue and profit growth.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Journalist Alec Luhn speaks out after dramatic rescue while hiking in Norway
Alec Luhn, a 38-year-old journalist who has worked for The Guardian, The New York Times and The Atlantic, is speaking out for the first time since his dramatic rescue in Norway. "I was grateful to be alive, grateful that I was, you know, still in one piece," Luhn told "Good Morning America" from his hospital bed. Luhn was badly injured in a fall and had to survive six days on a remote mountain. He said he was unable to move and had little food and no water while he waited for help. The Wisconsin native, who lives in the U.K., was reported missing on Aug. 4 after failing to board a scheduled flight from Bergen, Norway, to England. He had set out alone on a four-day hike on July 31 from Odda, a gateway to Folgefonna National Park, home to Norway's third-largest glacier. His wife, Emmy-winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, first alerted authorities about his disappearance. American journalist missing in Norway has been found alive On the first day of his hike, Luhn said disaster struck when his boot broke and he started plunging down an icy mountain. "[I just started] sliding down this kind of really steep slope," Luhn recalled. Luhn said he was only able to stop after slamming into a rock, a force so strong it broke his left femur, fractured his pelvis and a number of spinal vertebrae. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to move and get out of there and so I thought, 'OK, well, I got to essentially make it for at least four days on this mountain, so that people will realize that I'm missing,'" said Luhn. Luhn said the backpack he had been carrying, which contained a tent and sleeping bag, survived the fall but he lost his water bottle, most of his food and his cellphone. Unable to move and with no water, Luhn said he began to fear he might die of thirst. Desperate, he resorted to drinking his own urine. Then, on the third day, Luhn said it began to rain. "It started to rain. I really was desperate for water," Luhn said. "I remember, just like, literally licking up every drop of water I could get." But the rain soon turned into a powerful storm. Gale force winds and torrential rain hammered the mountain, sending streams down its slopes where Luhn was lying. Temperatures fell to near freezing, as Luhn became soaked, trying to shelter under a tent that he had managed to get over him. Luhn said he tried to hang on to hope that he would be rescued. "The one thing that gave me the hope and will to survive was my family -- just thinking about my wife, wanting to see her again, thinking about my parents and my brothers and sisters," Luhn said. "That's when I called on God and called on the universe to bring me back. I would do anything to be able to see my family again. And I just love them so much that, yeah, I want to make it." Days of bad weather forced rescuers to suspend search efforts. On Aug. 6, Norwegian police confirmed Luhn was found alive by a rescue helicopter team. The helicopter first passed nearby without seeing him, Luhn said, leaving him fearing he may have missed his only chance of rescue. When it returned again, Luhn had tied a red piece of cloth to a walking pole, which he began waving. "I was just yelling and waving. And finally, the door of [the helicopter] opens and somebody waves back at me and that was the moment I knew it was finally, finally over," Luhn said of the moment he was found. He was airlifted to Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. There, he was reunited with his parents and his wife that night. "I remember my wife said, 'I'm going to tear you a new one later but for now, I really love you,'" Luhn said. Besides his broken femur and fractures in his pelvis and back, Luhn suffered severe frostbite on both feet. He remains in Bergen for treatment for now and expects to continue recovery in Britain in the coming weeks. 2-year-old boy found alive in Florida woods about 24 hours after he went missing Raised in the Midwest and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Luhn spent a decade in Moscow as a foreign correspondent before shifting his focus to climate change reporting. A Pulitzer Center fellow and Emmy nominee, he has worked in conflict zones and remote environments around the world, from Ukraine and Somalia to the Arctic and Alaska. Luhn is also an avid and experienced hiker, who often seeks out the wilderness both professionally and personally, according to his friends and family. He joked that his wife has banned him from hiking but he intends to hike again in the future. Luhn also expressed deep gratitude for the Norwegian rescue teams and hospital staff and stressed the importance of being safe and making good decisions while hiking, saying he should have picked up new boots beforehand and brought a satellite phone with a tracking device for his trip. "It's cool to go into the mountains and there's always cool new routes to be done. But all of that just pales in comparison to the love of your family. And that's something I felt I had lost sight of a little bit and getting a second chance to go and put my family first, that was huge for me," he said. Solve the daily Crossword
2 days ago
Journalist Alec Luhn speaks out after dramatic rescue in Norway
Alec Luhn, a 38-year-old journalist who has worked for The Guardian, The New York Times and The Atlantic, is speaking out for the first time since his dramatic rescue in Norway. "I was grateful to be alive, grateful that I was, you know, still in one piece," Luhn told "Good Morning America." Luhn was reported missing on Aug. 4 after failing to board a scheduled flight from Bergen, Norway, to England. He had set out alone on a hike on July 31 from Odda, a gateway to Folgefonna National Park, home to Norway's third-largest glacier. His wife, Emmy-winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, first alerted authorities about his disappearance. Days of bad weather forced rescuers to suspend search efforts but on Aug. 6, Norwegian police confirmed Luhn was found alive. He was airlifted to Haukeland University Hospital with no major injuries reported other than one to his foot. Raised in the Midwest and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Luhn spent a decade in Moscow as a foreign correspondent before shifting his focus to climate change reporting. A Pulitzer Center fellow and Emmy nominee, he has worked in conflict zones and remote environments around the world, from Ukraine and Somalia to the Arctic and Alaska. Luhn is also an experienced hiker, who often seeks out the wilderness both professionally and personally, according to his friends and family.
