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 ...

Nils Lennart Lindgren (1 September 1919 – 25 February 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. He commanded the minelayer and the destroyer , and served as head of the

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 ...

. Lindgren also served at the Swedish embassies in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

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 ...

as a naval and military attaché.

Early life

Lindgren was born on 1 September 1919 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 ...

, Sweden, the son of Naval Captain Bengt Lindgren and his wife Lucy (née Haglund). 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 ...

'' in

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...

in 1938 and began his naval career as a teenager and schoolboy by

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

aboard destroyers and cabin boy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s. After that Lindgren spent weeks aboard the destroyer HSwMS ''Klas Uggla'' (4) in the summer of 1934. Two years later, he served on the destroyer HSwMS ''Klas Horn'' (3) and was recommended 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 ...

. He also served aboard the seaplane cruiser during its voyage to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Career

At the outbreak of

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 ...

in 1939, Lindgren, who belonged to the junior course, was sent home, while the older course were directly appointed acting sub-lieutenants"). He was, however, recalled fairly quickly and Lindgren and his classmates graduated from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy and were commissioned as naval officers in 1941. The first step in his destroyer career was taken aboard the destroyer ''Klas Horn'' with a position as a protection officer. Escort and patrol services followed between

Landsort Landsort () is a Swedish village with a lighthouse on the island of Öja. The village has around 30 permanent residents. The tower was built in 1689, with an upper conical iron section added in 1870. Open fires, serving as beacons, have been l ...

and Kråkelund. On 25 November 1943, Lindgren served aboard the destroyer HSwMS ''Norrköping'' (J10) when it, among the breaking waves at

Bogskär Bogskär is a small group of Baltic Sea islets off the southernmost tip of Finland. It is Finland's southernmost land and governed by the municipality of Kökar in Åland. The islets are remote: the distance to the nearest large islands in Kökar, ...

south of

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

, in full storm salvaged a life raft belonging to the German steamer ''Casablanca''. Lindgren served as a cadet officer at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1943 to 1946 and studied 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 1947 to 1949. He then served in the Naval Staff in 1949 and undertook combat control studies 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 1951. Lindgren served aboard the destroyer HSwMS ''Uppland'' (J17) in 1952 and then in the Naval Staff from 1952 to 1953 and then as flag lieutenant (''flaggadjutant'') in the staff of the 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 1954 to 1957. Lindgren served as

ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatment ...

Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland (Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén; 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), was a member of the Swedish royal family. He was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, ...

from 1954. He was promoted to commander and appointed first lieutenant (''sekond'') on in 1957 on its trip around South America 1957-58. He then served in the Naval Command West from 1958 to 1959. Lindgren was captain of the destroyer from 1959 to 1961 and he attended 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 ma ...

in 1961. From 1962 to 1966, Lindgren was a teacher at the Swedish National Defence College, after which the sea service was terminated in 1966-67 with the commanding of ''Älvsnabben'' during its round-the-world trip with the then Crown Prince Carl Gustaf as officer candidate on board. After returning home, Lindgren served at the Arms Department of the Naval Staff for two years. In 1969, Lindgren was promoted to captain and he then served as a naval attaché at the

Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., is Sweden's diplomatic mission in the United States. The Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., is one of Sweden's largest diplomatic missions with more than fifty employees. Ambassador since 2023 is Urban ...

from 1969 to 1974 and as a military attaché at the

Embassy of Sweden, Copenhagen Embassy of Sweden in Copenhagen is the diplomatic mission of Sweden to the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located at Amaliegade 5A, 1256 Copenhagen K. The residence The ambassador's residence is located on Sankt Annæ Plads, on the southern boundary ...

from 1976 to 1979. He was head of the

from 1975 to 1979 when he retired. He was honorary secretary of the Swedish British Society from 1976 to 1992.

Personal life

In 1943, Lindgren married Mai Albertini (1921–1967), the daughter of Gunnar Albertini and Sonja (née Lindholm). They had three children; Peter (born 1944), Jan (born 1947) and Suzanne (born 1950). In 1969, he married Marianne Hallberg (born 1924), the daughter of ''

ryttmästare ''Ryttmästare'' (from the German word ''Rittmeister'') was a military rank in the Swedish cavalry in the Swedish Army. The rank corresponded to the rank of captain in other service branches. The rank was abolished in 1972. History The military ...

'' Ernst Hallberg and Elsie (née Winck).

Death

Lindgren died on 25 February 2013 and was buried on 14 June 2013 in Djursholm Cemetery.

Dates of rank

*1943 –

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 ...

*1948 –

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 ...

*1957 –

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 ...

*1962 –

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. ...

*1969 –

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 ...

(1959) *

Order_of_Naval_Merit_-_Officer_(Brazil)_-_ribbon_bar

Officer of the Order of Naval Merit * UK_Royal_Victorian_Order_honorary_member_ribbon

Knight 1st Class of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

* Knight of the

Order of Homayoun Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Honours

*Member 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 ...

(1958)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindgren, Lennart 1919 births 2013 deaths Swedish Navy captains Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Swedish naval attachés Knights of the Order of the Sword