Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Bror Per Harald Stefenson (4 September 1929 – 3 October 2018) was a

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

officer. Stefenson's senior commands include Chief of the Defence Staff and military commander of the Eastern Military District (Milo Ö) as well as

Commandant General in Stockholm The Commandant General in Stockholm ( sv, Överkommendanten i Stockholm) is a military position in Sweden with responsibility for state ceremonial activities. Lieutenant General Michael Claesson, Chief of Joint Operations is the Commandant Gene ...

. He also served as Chief of

His Majesty's Military Staff His Majesty's Military Staff ( sv, H.M. Konungens stab) is the military staff of the Swedish monarch and functions as a unit of the Royal Court. It is led by the chief of staff and supports the King and the Royal Family at official ceremonies, mil ...

. , Stefenson remains the last appointed Swedish admiral (having been appointed in 1991).

Early life

Stefenson was born on 4 September 1929 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, the son of naval captain

Jens Stefenson Kommendör, Captain Jens Harald Stefenson (1 February 1895 – 1 March 1986) was a Swedish Navy officer and diving (sport), diver who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Early life Stefenson was born on 1 February 1895 in Örebro, Sweden, t ...

and his wife Astrid (née Grönberg). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968 ...

'' at Norra Real in Stockholm in 1948.

Career

Military career

In 1951, Stefenson was commissioned as an officer with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant (''fänrik'') and was promoted two years later to sub-lieutenant (''löjtnant'') before attending the

Royal Swedish Naval Academy The Royal Swedish Naval Academy ( sv, Kungliga Sjökrigsskolan, KSS) was a school for officer training for the Swedish Navy, which operated in various forms between the years 1756 and 1987. History 1683–1791 In 1683, when the charter was issue ...

from 1954 to 1959. Stefenson was the captain of the submarine in 1962 and in 1963, and was also promoted to lieutenant in 1963. He attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College in 1964 and was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1967 and to commander in 1970. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1976 and was commanding officer of the 1st Submarine Flotilla from 1976 to 1978. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1978 was chief of staff of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military ...

(Milo S) from 1978 to 1979 and commanding officer of the

Coastal Fleet The Coastal Fleet ( sv, Kustflottan, Kfl) was until 1994 a Swedish Navy authority with the main task of training the naval ships commanders and crews. After the formation of the authority Swedish Armed Forces in 1994, the Coastal Fleet remained ...

from 1980 to 1982 when he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 1982. He was at the same time the head of the Joint Operations (''Operationsledningen'', OPL) in the Defence Staff. Also in 1982, Stefenson was elected board member, by the Swedish government, of the East Economic Office (''Öst Ekonomiska Byrån''), an agency which occupied a special position among the agencies engaged in the Swedish military intelligence. Stefenson took office as Chief of the Defence Staff on 1 October 1982, the same day the so-called

Hårsfjärden incident The 1982 Hårsfjärden incident (30 September – 30 October 1982) was a peacetime naval engagement in which the Swedish Navy laid a trap for, pursued, and attempted to sink a foreign submarine that had violated Swedish territorial waters. The inc ...

occurred when a foreign submarine was trapped by the Swedish Navy and a reported 44 depth charges and 4 naval mines where detonated, trying to sink the submarine, but it was later determined that it avoided the trap or fled at an early stage. Stefenson would later write ''Från periskop och brygga'' ("From periscope and bridge") with diary notes and memories from the submarine hunt 1–10 October 1982. Stefenson has been criticized for hiding the truth behind the incident. He left the posts in the Defense Staff in 1987 and became head of the

Swedish National Defence College The Swedish Defence University ( sv, Försvarshögskolan, FHS) is situated on Drottning Kristinas väg 37 in Östermalm, Stockholm City Centre, next to the campus of the Royal Institute of Technology. History Today's Swedish Defence University ...

. A year later he was appointed military commander of the Eastern Military District (Milo Ö) and at the same time to the post of

. Stefenson retired in November 1991 and was promoted to full admiral. Stefenson was the last naval officer in Sweden to be promoted to admiral in connection with retirement. Only the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, if he came from the navy, as well as the king, can today hold the rank of admiral.

Later career

Stefenson var chief of

from 1990 to 1997 and during the years 1991–1994 was he also a project leader for ''Projekt Krishantering'' ("Project Crisis Management"). He was a special investigator regarding civilian use of defense resources from 1994 to 1995. Stefenson was elected into the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence i ...

in 1968 with number 908 and was its president from 1987 to 1992. He was a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...

since 1979. He has been Inspector Emeriti of the naval academy association SjöLund. Stefenson was a politician in the

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social ...

and a member of the Stockholm City Council (''Stockholms stadsfullmäktige'') and he was chairman of the

Christian Democratic Senior League The Christian Democratic Senior League ( sv, Kristdemokratiska Seniorförbundet) is a Swedish christian democratic organisation primarily for senior members of the Christian Democratic Party. The organisation was founded in 1993 and was the first e ...

from 2002 to 2007. He was also an honorary member of the Christian Democratic Senior League. Stefenson was chairman of the ''Hovförsamlingen'' ("Parish of the Royal Court") for 15 years.

Personal life

In 1953, Stefenson married the parish assistant Karin Östberg (born 1932), the daughter of consul Gustaf Östberg and Margit von Stedingk.

Death

Galärvarvskyrkogården kvarter 01 gravplats 894d

Stefenson died on 3 October 2018 in his home at

Slottsbacken Slottsbacken (, "Castle Slope") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It stretches east from the Stockholm Cathedral and the Royal Palace down to the street Skeppsbron which passes along the eastern waterfront o ...

2 in Stockholm. The funeral service was held on 2 November 2018 in the

Royal Chapel A royal chapel is a chapel associated with a monarch, a royal court, or in a royal palace. A royal chapel may also be a Chapel (music), body of clergy or musicians serving at a royal court or employed by a monarch. Commonwealth countries Both ...

. He was interred at

Galärvarvskyrkogården Galärvarvskyrkogården (literally Galley Shipyard Cemetery) is a cemetery on the island of Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It has about 1,300 burial sites and an area of approximately 0.9 hectares. History Galärvarvskyrkogården in Djurgård ...

in Stockholm on 9 January 2019.

Dates of rank

*1951 –

Acting sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

*1953 –

Sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

*1963 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

*1967 –

Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

*1970 –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

*1976 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1978 –

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

*1982 – Vice admiral *November 1991 –

Awards and decorations

Knight of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1969) * Den_kongelige_norske_fortjenstorden_storkors_stripe

Grand Cross of the

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...

(1 July 1992) * Cordone_di_gran_Croce_OMRI_BAR

1st Class / Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(8 April 1991) * EST_Order_of_the_White_Star_-_2nd_Class_BAR

First Class of the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

(11 September 1995)

Bibliography

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefenson, Bror 1929 births 2018 deaths Swedish Navy admirals Christian Democrats (Sweden) politicians Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden) Knights of the Order of the Sword Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 1st Class