Prince Olav Slipway officially opened
By Mark Burgess
The newly-renovated Prince Olav Slipway was officially opened yesterday, bringing together the historic connection between the Scalloway and Norway.
A special ceremony was led by chairman of the Shetland Bus Friendship Society, Charles Grant, who spoke of the history of the Shetland Bus operation and the past and present bonds with Norway.
The society has played a key part in managing the restoration project - recreating the slipway carriage built in 1942 to support the Shetland Bus operation that brought many Norwegian families fleeing Nazi occupation to refuge in Shetland.
It also took supplies and operatives to the resistance forces in Norway.
The restoration project has been funded by a combination of donations from Norway and Shetland.
The project was initiated by mayor of Øygarden, Tom Georg Indrevik, who arranged a special donation back in 2019, and attended the event to celebrate the completion this week.
This initial fund was reciprocated by donations from the Scalloway Museum, local marine industries, Shetland Islands Council Coastal Communities Fund and further fundraising in Norway.
The work was carried out by Malakoff Ltd who own the former slipway, which has listed status as an historic property and has been disused since the 1980s.
A sizeable crowd gathered for the event, many of whom were Norwegians who had travelled across the North Sea to attend.
The restored slipway was jointly opened by Bill Moore, son of Jack Moore whose engineering business owned and operated the slipway in time of war, and Astrid Larsen, daughter of Leif Larsen, the most decorated and heroic Norwegian civilian who skippered vessels heading to Norway.
The Shetland Bus operation largely operated in the worst of conditions at night and in bad weather to avoid contact with aggressive German defences.
The damage that vessels took from the violent sea and enemy guns required a safe and reliable repair and maintenance operation, and that is what the Scalloway slipway provided - a keystone for an operation that saved many lives and had a significant impact on Nazi progress during the war.
A memorial and wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Shetland Bus Memorial, and an informal gathering took place at the Scalloway Museum.
A civic reception was also held at the town hall the previous evening. A dinner and concert in the Scalloway hall also took place, as well as a coach trip to Lunna, where the secret wartime operation began prior to the development in Scalloway.