At first, there were fourteen fishing boats of various sizes. The original Shetland Bus boat, the "Aksel", skippered by August Nærøy, departed for Bergen from Hamna Voe, on the west side of Lunna Ness, on 30 August 1941. The other crew on this first tour were Mindor Berge, Ivar Brekke, Andreas Gjertsen, and Bård Grotle. Fishing boats were used at first, but after some losses, it was decided that faster vessels were necessary. On 26 October 1943, the US Navy officially transferred the submarine chasers "Hitra", "Vigra", and "Hessa" to the Shetland Bus operation. These craft were long and powered by two 1,200 hp diesel engines, capable of a top speed of , with a normal cruising speed of . When the submarine chasers arrived, the group became an official part of the Royal Norwegian Navy and was renamed the Royal Norwegian Naval Special Unit (RNNSU).