Olof Strömstierna
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Olof Strömstierna (1664–1730) was a Swedish naval officer and
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
. He was born as Olof Knape but became
ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...
under the name ''Strömstierna'' in 1715.


Biography


Early years and in the Dutch service

Strömstierna was born 1664 in
Bohuslän Bohuslän () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the ...
where his father, Nils Knape, was a fisherman. Like many people in the archipelago, Strömstierna worked at the sea during his youth. He first sailed domestically, but went to France, England, America, and
East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...
in 1697. During these travels he joined the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
and was once in the service of the
States-General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States General originated i ...
, in which reached the rank of
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 ...
.


The Swedish Navy Staff

In 1698, Strömstierna was offered the chance of joining the Swedish navy. He became a captain in 1700, and assisted admiral Cornelius Anckarstierna with the enrollment of "all the existing seamanship in Bohuslän". In 1701, he joined the Swedish expedition to
Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...
in Russia as the head of the
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
''Marstrand''. Strömstierna became captain of an enlisted sailor company in Bohuslän in 1704. His most important missions were to convoy transport ships, undertake cruises, and protect the Bohuslän coast against Danish attacks. As a reward, he became a
schout-bij-nacht () is a naval rank of Dutch origin. The was responsible for ensuring that a fleet continued to sail in the prescribed order at night. The title comes from the title of the officer who replaced the admiral at night, from the Middle Low German sc ...
in the Gothenburg Squadron in 1714 and was
ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...
under the name ''Strömstierna'' in 1715.


The fighting in Bohuslän against Tordenskjold

In 1716, Strömstierna was missioned to convoy a number of transport vessels, loaded with siege artillery and supplies, to
Svinesund Svinesund is a sound separating the Swedish municipality of Strömstad in the province of Bohuslän in the county of Västra Götaland from the Norwegian municipality of Halden in the county of Østfold. Two bridges, the old and new Svinesun ...
. When he reached Dynekilen, his flotilla was attacked by
Peter Tordenskjold Vice-Admiral Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720) was a Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy officer. Born in Trondheim, he travelled to Copenhagen in 1704 and eventually join the Dano-Norwegian navy, rising to the rank ...
who managed to destroy many of the ships after a five-hour-long battle. For his efforts in the battle, Strömstierna was named
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 ...
by the Swedish king
Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...
. During Strömstierna's subsequent period as commander of the Gothenburg Squadron, he contributed significantly to the repelling of Tordenskjold's attack on the city in 1717. That year he became head of Roddargastarnas Regiment (3,000 men), and in 1718 he led the shipment of over a hundred ships loaded with food and other supplies from Gothenburg to
Strömstad Strömstad is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strömstad Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 6,288 inhabitants in 2010. For historical reasons, Strömstad is called a Stad (Sweden), ''city'' despite its small popu ...
, which made the
military campaign A military campaign is large-scale long-duration significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of interrelated military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. The term derives from th ...
against Norway possible.


The last few years

When Strömstierna retired from active service in 1719, the Swedish government raised him to the rank of full admiral. He spent the rest of his years, until his death in 1730, at his farm Vensö in Bohuslän.


References

*''This article contains content from
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon'' () is a compact Sweden, Swedish dictionary of biography first published in 1873–1876 by the physician and antiquarian Herman Hofberg (1823–1883). The second, updated edition was published in 1906, under th ...
, a Swedish encyclopedia now in public domain.''


External links


"Tordenskiolds ship can still be seen"
Swedish article by Sven H. Gullman {{DEFAULTSORT:Stromstierna, Olof 1664 births 1730 deaths Swedish admirals Swedish military personnel of the Great Northern War Caroleans People from Västra Götaland County