Admiral Claës Fabian Tamm (13 November 1879 – 4 October 1955) 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 ...

officer. He served as the Chief of the Navy from 1939 to 1945.

Early life

Tamm was born on 13 November 1879 in Film,

Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or '' län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. ...

, Sweden, the son of the

Governor of Stockholm The Governor of Stockholm ( sv, överståthållaren) was the head of the Office of the Governor of Stockholm ( sv, Överståthållarämbetet, ÖÄ), and as such he was the highest Swedish State official overseeing the affairs in the City of Stock ...

and cabinet minister, Baron Claës Gustaf Adolf Tamm and his wife Ebba (née Tersmeden).

Career

Tamm was commissioned as a naval officer with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant in the

in 1899 and was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1901. Tamm was promoted to lieutenant in 1907 and was adjutant and librarian at 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 ...

as well as teacher in

law of war The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war ('' jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and terri ...

and maritime law from 1907 to 1910 and in

naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large l ...

from 1910. He was adjutant at the Military Office of the Ministry for Naval Affairs from 1911. Tamm was naval attaché in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

from 1914 to 1917, secretary in

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 ...

from 1918 to 1921 and was head of the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1921 to 1925. Tamm was then head of department at the Naval Staff in 1926, was promoted to captain in 1927 and was a member of the Defense Committee in 1928 and 1929. He was appointed

flag captain In the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime en ...

in 1930 and was an expert at the

World Disarmament Conference The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, generally known as the Geneva Conference or World Disarmament Conference, was an international conference of states held in Geneva, Switzerland, between February 1932 and November 193 ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

in 1932. Tamm was head of the Military Office of the Naval Defence (''Sjöförsvarets kommandoexpedition'') from 1931 to 1933 and Commander-in-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 ...

from 1933 to 1939. Tamm was appointed Chief of the Navy and promoted to vice admiral on 20 January 1939 and succeeded Vice Admiral Charles de Champs on 1 April the same year with an appointment until 31 March 1945. He was appointed admiral in the reserve in 1947, two years after he left active service. In addition to his military activities, Tamm was chairman of the board of Ströms Bruks AB, Ljusne-Woxna AB and Rederi AB Svea (1945–52). Tamm was also chairman of the board of the Association of Army, Navy and Air Film (''Föreningen Armé- Marin- och Flygfilm'') from 1932 to 1939 and board member of AB Finnboda Varv.

Personal life

In 1908, Tamm married baroness Eva Ebba Gustafva Beck-Friis (1884–1963), daughter of baron Carl Joachim Beck-Friis and baroness Anna von Otter. Tamm died in 1955 and was buried at Galärvarvskyrkogården in Stockholm.

Dates of rank

*1899 –

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 ...

*1901 –

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 hig ...

*1907 –

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 ...

*1918 –

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 ...

*1927 –

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 ...

*1933 –

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 rega ...

*1 April 1939 – Vice admiral *1947 – Admiral

Awards and decorations

Swedish

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 February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(6 June 1939) * Order_of_the_Polar_Star_-_Ribbon_bar,_pre_1975

Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

(1931) *

SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

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

(1921) *

Ribbon bar of the Gustaf V Olympic Medal

King Gustaf V's Olympic Commemorative Medal (''Konung Gustaf V:s olympiska minnesmedalj'') * Swedish Voluntary Motorboat Corps' Gold Medal (''Sveriges frivilliga motorbåtskårs guldmedalj'')

Foreign

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy ...

LVA_Order_of_the_Three_Stars_-_Commander_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvija ...

Grand Officer of the

Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle (german: Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded follo ...

Commander 1st Class of the

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

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

St_Olavs_Orden_kommandør_med_stjerne_stripe

Commander with Star of the Order of St. Olav * POL_Polonia_Restituta_Komandorski_ZG_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta , image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.j