Vice Admiral Carl Harald Åkermark (12 September 1873 – 1 November 1963) was a senior

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. Åkermark commanded many ships, including the coastal defence ship . He served as head of the Military Office of the Minister for Naval Affairs (1923–1927), as 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 ...

(1927–1933) and as head of the

Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration The Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration ( sv, Kungliga Marinförvaltningen, KMF) was the central board of the Swedish Navy in technical and economic terms. It was active between the years 1878 and 1968 when it was disbanded and amalgamated ...

(1933–1938). He retired in 1938 but was called back for service during World War II as Commanding Admiral of the West Coast Naval District (1939–1942).

Early life

Åkermark was born on 12 September 1873 in

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 Gudmund Åkermark, a magistrate's secretary, and his wife Amalia Tranchell. The reading of Marryat's and

Trolle The House of Trolle (sometimes in Danish ''Trold'') is the name of a Scanian noble family, originally from Småland, in Sweden. The family has produced prominent people in the histories of Denmark and in Sweden since the Middle Ages and is associat ...

's sea novels aroused in Åkermark the desire to become a naval officer. As a native of Gothenburg, it was natural that he became interested in sea life at an early age. In addition, his grandfather Theodor Wilhelm Tranchell, founder of

Lindholmen Lindholmen may refer to: Places * Lindholmen, Gothenburg, a district on the island of Hisingen * Lindholmen, Karlskrona, an island south of Karlskrona * Lindholmen, Vallentuna, a locality in Stockholm County Other uses * Lindholmen Castle, a for ...

's workshop, shipowner and longtime chairman of the Seamen's Association in Gothenburg, was anxious to familiarize his grandchildren with the sea. As early as 1882, he gave Åkermark and his siblings a lifeboat with four oars. With it, they learned to row through the city's now filled canals and in summer rowed the boat to Hästevik on

Hisingen Hisingen () is the fifth-largest island of Sweden (after Gotland, Öland, Södertörn and Orust), with an area of . It is a river island, formed by the split of the Göta Älv at Bohus, and is defined to the east and south by the main arm of tha ...

. Gradually, the rowing trips were extended, and the boat stock was expanded with both rowing and sailboats. The voyages eventually included the entire

Gothenburg archipelago The archipelago of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs skärgård) comprises northern and southern archipelagoes. The southern archipelago is part of Gothenburg municipality located in the province of Västergötland while the northern archipelago is Öck ...

and sailing trips to

Marstrand Marstrand () is a seaside locality situated in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,320 inhabitants in 2010. The town got its name from its location on the island of Marstrand. Despite its small population, for histori ...

and

Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...

. With the cutters ''Siri'' and ''Smart'', they participated in the sailing company Aeolus racing, when the well-sailed, semi-decked ''Smart'' won the first prize a few times. Åkermark made his first long voyage in the summer of 1885. To find out how he endured the sea, he had to accompany a relative, who was a sea captain, on a steamship to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. The result was favorable, and at the suggestion of a couple of well-known naval officers it was decided that for entry into 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 ...

, to which the age of entry was then 13-15 years, he would first undergo a preparatory institution privately arranged by the school teachers of the naval academy. In the spring of 1886, he therefore left the third grade in Göteborgs realläroverk and moved to

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 ...

in the autumn. He had just turned 13 years old. He was accommodated with the headmaster of the preparatory school, Hampus Huldt, who turned out to have studied in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

at the same time as Åkermark's father, the magistrate's secretary and notary public in Gothenburg, Gudmund Åkermark. Three other Gothenburg boys also went to school, among them Åkermark's relative William Gibson from

Jonsered Jonsered () is a locality situated in Partille Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 930 inhabitants in 2010. Jonsered is an old, traditional industrial community by the Säve river outside Gothenburg in Sweden. Jonsered's factories ...

. They were then together for several years as cadets and naval officers. This year's preparatory naval school had 32 students, and when the number, which in the autumn of 1887 was to be admitted as naval cadets, was only 12-15, the competition among the students was fierce. In the summer of 1887, Åkermark, as a cadet candidate, was allowed to accompany the corvette ''Norrköping''. In mid-May, the corvette departed from

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...

and visited ports in Sweden,

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and

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. At the end of 24 July, the expedition returned to Karlskrona, and after graduating on board, the candidates left for their homes. The total land and sea grades this time were not enough for him to enter the naval academy. This was, well due to his young age, not expected either, and it was decided that he would go to the preparatory naval school for another year and live with senior lecturer Huldt. The grade was very good this time and in the spring of 1888 accompanied the registration for the entrance exam to the naval academy. On 1 October 1888, he, just turned 15, was admitted as a sea cadet as number 7 among 15 admitted to the Royal Swedish Naval Academy.

Career

Åkermark was commissioned as a naval officer with the rank of ''

underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' in the

in 1894 where he was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1897. He underwent the Torpedo School's command course and the general course at the

from 1900 to 1902 and was a cadet officer and teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy between 1902 and 1908, during which time he was promoted to lieutenant in 1903. Åkermark served as a teacher 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 ...

between 1914 and 1919, during which time he was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1916. Between 1901 and 1917, Åkermark served on various different naval ships. He commanded torpedo boat number 65 in 1901, the gunboat ''Skuld'' in 1906, the gunboats ''Skäggald'' in 1907 and 1908, the torpedo boats ''Antares'' and ''Iris'' in 1909, the destroyer ''Vidar'' in 1911, the destroyer ''Ragnar'' in 1912, the destroyer ''Munin'' in 1913 and the coastal defence ship in 1921. Åkermark served as division commander in 1909 aboard the torpedo boat ''Iris'', the torpedo boat ''Castor'' in 1910 and the destroyer ''Sigurd'' in 1916 and 1917. Åkermark commanded the Åland Expedition in 1918. Åkermark was an expert in several investigations into issues concerning the navy between 1912 and 1926. He was a councilor in the navy's pension fund (''flottans pensionskassa'') in 1909, a member of the torpedo commission (''torpedkommissionen'') in Karlskrona and Stockholm in 1910, a member of the torpedo commission in 1917, an expert in the inquiry into the

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

system within the navy's officer and non-commissioned officer corps in 1912, an expert in the naval commission (''marinkommissionen'') in 1914, head of the Torpedo Department in Stockholm from 1917 to 1919, member and expert in the investigation regarding the officer corps' recruitment and training and more, assignment to lead the preparation of new torpedo firing instruction and torpedo exercise regulations in 1918, expert for the investigation regarding torpedo losses in 1919 and an expert in the naval preparation (''marinberedninge'') in 1920. Åkermark was promoted to commander in 1919 and served as head of Torpedo Department in the

from 1919 to 1923 and as head of department in the Torpedo School from 1920 to 1922. He was promoted to captain in 1923 and then served as head of the Military Office of the Minister for Naval Affairs (''Sjöförsvarets kommandoexpedition'') from 1923 to 1927. Åkermark was at the disposal of the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

's Committee on Defence as secretary for naval affairs in 1924. In the same year, he was an expert in the investigation regarding the promotion of non-commissioned officers to officers and more. He was then at the disposal of the Riksdag's Committee on Defence in 1925, and was an expert in submitting proposals for the organization of the naval reserve personnel between 1925 and 1926. Åkermark was promoted to rear admiral in 1927 and then served as Chief of the

from 1927 to 1933. He then served as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration from 1933 to 1938. He was promoted to vice admiral in 1934 and retired in 1938, afterwich he served as chairman of the Maritime Safety Inquiry (''Sjöfartsskyddsutredningen'') in 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Åkermark was called up and served as Commanding Admiral of the West Coast Naval District from 1939 to 1942. Åkermark has been described as a "rare upstanding and straightforward man. He worked methodically to achieve his goals and he never deviated one bit from what he considered to be right, even though he thereby obtained dissenters. Behind his reserved and even withdrawn, almost shy exterior hid a will of steel, which, if necessary, could radiate an authority and power that did not require any external manifestations to assert itself."

Personal life

In 1914, Åkermark married Märta Gjerling (1892–1983), the daughter of captain Edvard Gjerling and Baroness Augusta Funck. They had two children: Eva Augusta Amalia (1915–2012) and Bertil Gudmund Harald (1918–2010).

Death

Åkermark died on 1 November 1963 and was interred on 24 July 1965 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.

Dates of rank

*1894 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...

'' *1897 –

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 ...

*1903 –

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 ...

*1916 –

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 ...

*1919 –

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. ...

*1923 –

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 ...

*1927 –

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 ...

*1934 – Vice 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 Or ...

(6 June 1934) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(16 June 1928) * Royal Order of the Sword - Commander BAR

Commander of the

(15 September 1926) * Royal Order of the Sword - Knight 1st Class BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1915) *

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 the ...

(1918) *

Knight 1st Class 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 u ...

(1908) *

Swedish Auxiliary Naval Corps The National Association of Naval Volunteer Corps ( sv, Sjövärnskårernas Riksförbund, SVK RF), commonly known as the Swedish Auxiliary Naval Corps ( sv, Sjövärnskåren, SVK) is a Swedish auxiliary defence organization that cooperate with the ...

' Gold Medal *

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 ...

' Silver Medal (1913)

Foreign

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. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

(between 1928 and 1930) * CHL Order of Merit of Chile - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

(1930) *

Commander 2nd 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 a ...

(between 1921 and 1925) * Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(1930) *

Knight of the

(between 1910 and 1915) * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander BAR

Commander 2nd 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. ...

(between 1925 and 1928) * Commendatore OCI Kingdom BAR

Commander 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 Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

(between 1925 and 1928) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Commander

Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

with Swords (between 1925 and 1928) * St Olavs Orden kommandør stripe

Commander of the Order of St. Olav (between 1921 and 1925) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Knight 3rd Class of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

(1909)

Honours

*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 ...

(1921) *Member of the

(1908) *Honorary member of the

(1927) *Member of the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers (''Svenska Teknologföreningen'') (1934)

References

External links

Biography of Åkermark's early years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akermark, Harald 1873 births 1963 deaths Swedish Navy vice admirals Military personnel from Gothenburg Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården