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 ...

Bengt Göran Rasin, né ''Larsson'' (17 April 1922 – 2 January 2013) 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. His senior commands include chief 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 ...

, commanding officer of the West Coast Military Command and commanding officer of the

Western Military District The Western Military District (russian: Западный военный округ, Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) is a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, ...

. Rasin also served as chairman of 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 ...

Early life

Rasin was born Bengt Göran Larsson on 17 April 1922 in

Annedal Annedal is a district of Gothenburg, Sweden, which falls with the borough of Linnéstaden. It is older traditional working class district. Much of the original housing was demolished in the late 1960s and early 1970s for the construction of m ...

Parish,

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, the son of chief physician Hjalmar Larsson and his wife Elsa (née Rasin). Both parents were employed at Gothenburg schools and were anxious that their son would receive a good education as a basis for the future. 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 the Vasa högre allmänna läroverk in 1941 and after

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

became an officer candidate in the

on the 20 June the same year with number 6. At this time - with the threat of war and a navy in strong development - a couple of hundred young people applied for 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 ...

which only accepted 75 people. Rasin was accepted as number 2. Rasin graduated as an acting sub-lieutenant and was commissioned into the navy as number 4 of the 39 remaining sea cadets in the fall of 1944..

Career

During his time at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy, Rasin was trained in seamanship aboard the armored cruiser . In October 1944 he embarked on the submarine HSwMS ''Svärdfisken'' - a service that at that time entailed considerable risks. Rasin then attended submarine school. The best acting sub-lieutenants in each course also got to make long journeys, whereby Rasin temporarily had to stop his submarine service for a trip with the cruiser to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. Rasin's talent was also used in a training course in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1948, to bring home the new radar technology. Rasin served as captain of the submarines HSwMS ''U2'' (1946), HSwMS ''Sjöborren'' (1953–54 and 1957) and HSwMS ''Svärdfisken'' (1954). He was trained in submarine and staff service and attended the staff course at the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Sjökrigshögskolan, KSHS) was a Swedish Navy training establishment between 1898 and 1961, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Swedish Navy's staff college, which prov ...

from 1951 to 1953. Rasin attended the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1961 and he served as captain of the submarine HSwMS ''U3'' in 1962. Rasin underwent the general course at 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 ...

in 1966. He served as chief of Section 1 from 1966 and chief of staff of the

(Milo V) and was commanding officer of the 1st Submarine Flotilla from 1971 to 1972. In 1973, Rasin took a management course and in 1977 he was promoted to rear admiral and was appointed chief of the

. Rasin left the post in 1980 and in 1981 he was appointed commanding officer of the West Coast Military Command with

Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment The Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 4, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1942 and 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg ...

. He was then military commander of the Western Military District from 1983 to 1985.

Other work

Rasin was elected in 1961, with number 851, into the

. He was its chairman from 1979 to 1984. In 1978, Rasin became 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 ...

, Section II, Naval Studies. He was also Inspektor of the naval academies associations UppSjö and SjöBorg from 1978 to 1982. Rasin's great interest in sailing made, among other things, that he was chairman of the organizing committee for the

Tall Ships' Races The Tall Ships Races are races for sail training "tall ships" (sailing ships). The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and c ...

in 1986, when Gothenburg for the first time constituted final destination.

Personal life

On 16 November 1947, Rasin married Gunnel Björklund (1922–2011), the daughter of Ernst Björklund and Edith (née Uhlén). They had two sons; Bengt and Lars.

Death

Rasin died on 2 January 2013 in Vasa Parish, Gothenburg. The funeral service was held on 8 February 2013 in in Gothenburg. He is buried at Nya Varvet Cemetery in Gothenburg.

Dates of rank

*1944 –

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 ...

*1946 –

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 ...

*1954 –

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 ...

*1962 –

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 ...

*1963 –

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. ...

*1970 –

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 ...

*1977 –

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 ...

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 ...

(1963)

Honours

*Member of the

(1978) *Honorary member of the

(chairman 1978–1983)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasin, Bengt 1922 births 2013 deaths Swedish Navy rear admirals Military personnel from Gothenburg Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Knights of the Order of the Sword