| | Splinter Fleet - Subchaser Hulls Still Afloat |
 | | SC 718 still exists in Norway as a Norwegian Royal Navy vessel, the “Hitra.” During the war the U.S. loaned three American-built subchasers to occupied Norway under the lend-lease program and late in the war transferred ownership of the three vessels to Norway permanently. |
 | | Throughout the war they were used in an operation called the “Shetlands Bus”, a ferrying service between Norway and the Shetlands Isles which, at high risk, transported secret agents and communications equipment into Norway to enable them to keep track of German navy movements all along the Norwegian coast. |
 | | Today the Hitra operates as a full fledged subchaser fitted out and equipped exactly as she was during the war, and used for exhibit, education, reunions, etc. Her ship’s bell still carries the faint engraving of “SC 718” as a reminder of her American roots. |
| www.splinterfleet.org /sfafloat.php (732 words) |