Olof Strömstierna (1664–1730) was a Swedish naval officer and

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some 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, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

. He was born as Olof Knape but became ennobled under the name ''Strömstierna'' in 1715.

Biography

Early years and in the Dutch service

Strömstierna was born 1664 in

Bohuslän Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a 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 ...

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 in 1697. During these travels he joined the Dutch East India Company and was once in the service of the States-General of the Netherlands, in which reached the rank of lieutenant.

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 Cornelius Didrikson Thijsen Anckarstierna (25 January 1655 – 19 April 1714) was a Swedish admiral of Dutch origin and a member of the Swedish House of Nobility. Early life Cornelius Anckarstierna was born on 25 January 1655 in Stockholm. His ...

with the enrollment of "all the existing seamanship in Bohuslän". In 1701, he joined the Swedish expedition to Arkhangelsk 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 somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

''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 in the Gothenburg Squadron in 1714 and was ennobled 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 Viken. Two bridges, the old and new Svinesund Bri ...

. When he reached Dynekilen, his flotilla was attacked by Peter Tordenskjold 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 by the Swedish king Charles XII. 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, 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 the ...

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, 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