Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Erik Viktor Philip Gustafsson af Klint (12 March 1901 – 26 December 1981) was a

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

naval officer. Af Klint's senior commands included postings as chief of staff of the

Coastal Fleet The Coastal Fleet (, 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 as a unit until ...

, head of Section 2 of the Defence Staff, commander-in-chief of the

and commanding officer of the Naval Command East.

Early life

Af Klint was born on 12 March 1901 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, the son of Rear Admiral Gustaf af Klint and his wife Elisabet (née Helling). He was the brother of Börje af Klint (1903–1989), artillery director at AB Bofors and Captain (N) Viktor af Klint (1904–1986). His aunt was the pioneer abstract artist Hilma af Klint. Af Klint passed '' studentexamen'' in 1920.

Career

Af Klint was commissioned as a naval officer in 1923. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant (''Löjtnant'') in 1925 and attended the staff course at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1930 to 1931. He served as a flag adjutant from 1935 to 1938 and was promoted to lieutenant (''Kapten'') in 1937. He served as a teacher of tactics at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College, a position which he held in two tours until 1942, interrupted from 1939 to 1941 by service in the Defence Staff. In 1942, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and was appointed adjutant in the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

and appointed head of department in the Naval Staff. In 1945, af Klint was promoted to commander and then served as captain of from 1945 to 1946, of the from 1946 to 1947 and of the from 1947 to 1948. In 1950, af Klint was appointed chief aide-de-camp (''överadjutant'') to His Majesty the King. Af Klint was promoted to captain in 1950 and served as flag captain from 1950 to 1951 and as head of Section 2 of the Defence Staff from 1951 to 1953, when he was promoted to rear admiral. From 1953 to 1957, af Klint served as commander-in-chief of the

. He then served as commanding officer of the Naval Command East from 1957 to 1966, when he was promoted to vice admiral and retired from the military. In 1967, af Klint was appointed cabinet chamberlain to His Majesty the King Gustaf VI Adolf.

Personal life

In 1934 he married Ulla Wibom (1912–2007), the daughter of Commander Ivar Wibom and Siri (née Hedblom). They had three children: Gustaf (1935–2010), Johan (born 1939) and Elisabet (born 1940). The votive ship hanging in Adelsö Church was built by af Klint and his father. Hilma af Klint bequeathed her entire work to her nephew Erik af Klint. In 1972 — after the Moderna Museet rejected the collection — he let a foundation take over ownership. Erik af Klint wrote in the statutes that the majority of the board should belong to the Anthroposophical Society, because the artist had a strong interest in anthroposophy.

Death

Af Klint died on 26 December 1981 in

Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in the Provinces of Sweden, province of Uppland in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. The name derives from the name of the main island within the municipality whose name is ...

, Sweden. The funeral service was held on 8 January 1982 in Skeppsholmen Church. He was interred on 19 May 1982 at Galärvarvskyrkogården in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*19?? – Acting sub-lieutenant *1925 – Sub-lieutenant *1937 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1942 – Lieutenant commander *1945 –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

*1950 –

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

*1953 –

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

*1966 –

Vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(4 June 1960) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(5 June 1954) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

(6 June 1953) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1943) *

Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

(1938) * Swedish Naval Volunteers' Gold Medal (''Sjövärnskårens guldmedalj'') * StockhfkGM

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(1 July 1972) * NED_Huisorde_van_Oranje_A1_BAR

Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange * ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

(5 May 1971) * Order_of_the_Dannebrog_K1

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Finland Cross of Liberty 3rd Class Military peacetime

3rd Class of the

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

with Swords * St_Olavs_Orden_ridder_1_klasse_stripe

Knight 1st Class of the

DNK_Kong_Christian_den_Tiendes_frihedsmedaille_ribbon_bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1941) *Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1951) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1953)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klint, Erik af 1901 births 1981 deaths Swedish Navy vice admirals Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Order of Vasa