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 ...

Claës Olof Lindsström (8 October 1876 – 3 January 1964) was a

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

officer. Lindsström's senior commands include postings as commanding officer of

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 ...

and

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Naval Stations, the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and East Coast Naval District, and as Chief of the Naval Staff. Lindsström was active during the era of the ''Sverige''-class coastal defence ships and made significant efforts to develop this type of

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

Early life

Lindsström was born on 8 October 1876 in

Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...

, Sweden, the son of Victor Olof Lindsström, a wholesaler, and his wife Sophia Antonia Söderberg. He was a cadet at the

Royal Swedish Naval Academy The Royal Swedish Naval Academy (, 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 issued that "those who were propo ...

in 1890 and was the youngest and at the top of his class who graduated in 1896. He then went on to the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College (, 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 provided advanced training for office ...

in 1902 in the usual order and graduated in 1904 with the highest grades, which up to that point had ever been awarded.

Career

Lindsström captained his first ship, the torpedo boat no. 81, in 1904. He served in the Artillery Department at the

Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration The Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration (, 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 into the Defence Materiel Adm ...

from 1904 to 1907. He was a weapons teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1905 to 1910 and during his numerous tours at sea, Lindsström was, among other things, flag lieutenant (''flaggadjutant'') on eight different expeditions between 1905 and 1913. Lindsström became a member and secretary of the Naval Warfare Materiel Committee (''Sjökrigsmaterielkommittén'') in 1906 and served as adjutant to the Inspector of the Navy's Exercises at Sea, Rear Admiral

Wilhelm Dyrssen Admiral (Sweden), Admiral Wilhelm Dyrssen (26 March 1858 – 14 July 1929) was a senior Swedish Navy officer. He served as Ministry for Naval Affairs (Sweden), minister for naval affairs from 1906 to 1907, and the Coastal Fleet, Inspector of the ...

, from 1907 to 1910. From 1910 to 1912, he served in the

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...

of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

and in 1913 he was appointed Adjutant to His Majesty the King

Gustaf V Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxe ...

(Chief Adjutant in 1925). Lindsström served from 1913 to 1914 in a Advisory Study (''Försvarsberedning'') and from 1917 to 1919 as a naval attaché in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. He was also a member of the Swedish Naval Studies Commission which, in the autumn of 1917, visited Germany with the main residence in the

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

area occupied by the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

(

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (; from , meaning "Bruges-on-Sea"; , ) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with ...

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

). The results of this Commission's report contributed, among other things, to a large extent to the introduction of new firing rules and effective fire control devices on the ''Sverige''-class coastal defence ships. Lindsström then served as head of the Operations Department in the Naval Staff from 1919 to 1925 and as a teacher of strategy in the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1919 to 1924. Lindsström served as captain of the armoured cruiser during a voyage around

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

from 1922 to 1923 and as captain of the coastal defence ship in 1924. He was commanding officer of the Winter Squadron (''Vintereskadern'') in 1926 and served as

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a " captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "Firs ...

in the staff of the

Coastal Fleet The Coastal Fleet (, 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 as a unit until ...

from 1925 to 1930 as well as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1930 to 1933. In 1932 he was commanding officer of the Submarine Division and from 1933 to 1939, Lindsström served as a naval expert in Sweden's delegation at the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

Geneva 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 1934 ...

. He was commanding admiral and station commander in

from 1933 to 1936 and Chief of the Naval Staff also in 1936. Lindsström served as station commander in

from 1936 to 1937 and was military member of the

Supreme Court of Sweden The Supreme Court of Sweden (, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and wit ...

from 1937. He then served as commanding admiral of the East Coast Naval District from 1937 to 1942 when he retired from the navy. During his career, Lindsström published a number of books, for example ''Lärobok i elektricitetslära'' (together with J. Eklund, 1903), ''Maritima operationsbaser'' (1905), ''Lärobok i artilleri för K. sjökrigsskolan'' (1908), and ''Världsisläran, en bro mellan vetenskap och myt'' (1935). He also wrote a variety of minor essays and brochures on naval military issues.

Later career

After retiring from the navy, Lindsström worked for the shipping company Rederi AB Nordstjernan in Stockholm from 1942 to 1948. In 1950, he left his position as military member of the Supreme Court. Later he was chairman of the Swedish Archipelago Association (''Svenska Skärgårdsförbundet''). In this capacity he presented proposals on the arrangement of the communications in the

Stockholm archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...

Personal life

On 1 September 1919 he married Hertha von Koerner (22 October 1883 in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

– 6 December 1983), the daughter of ''

Geheimrat was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...

'' Paul von Koerner, J.D., and Margarete Wahle.

Death

Lindsström died on 3 January 1964 in

Danderyd Danderyd Municipality (; ) is a municipality north of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It is one of the smallest municipalities of Sweden, but the most affluent. Its seat is located in Djursholm and it is located within Sto ...

Parish. He was interred on 18 January 1964 at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Burial Place" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Th ...

in Stockholm. His wife Hertha is also buried here.

Dates of rank

*1896 – Acting sub-lieutenant *1900 – Sub-lieutenant *1904 –

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 ...

*1917 – Lieutenant commander *1919 –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

*1925 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

*1932 –

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

*1942 –

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 ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948) * Seraphimerorden ribbon

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * 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 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1940) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1932) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander 2nd Class of the

(6 June 1929) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

(1917) * Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(1925) * Knight 1st Class of the

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

(1914) *

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

Medal for Noble Deeds in gold

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

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

(between 1931 and 1940) * Order_of_the_Dannebrog_K

Commander 2nd Class of the

(between 1915 and 1921) * Order of the Dannebrog Ribbon bar

Knight of the

(before 1915) * St_Olavs_Orden_storkors_stripe

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(between 1931 and 1940) * Commander 1st Class of the

(between 1925 and 1931) * Grand Officer of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () 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 "Through hardships towards the ...

(between 1925 and 1931) * POL Polonia Restituta Kawalerski BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(between 1931 and 1940) * Commander 1st Class of the

Crosses of Naval Merit The Cross of Naval Merit () is a Spanish List of military decorations, military award for gallantry or merit in war or peace. Awarded to members of the Spanish Navy, Spanish Naval Forces, Guardia Civil or civilians. History and Attribution Es ...

(between 1925 and 1931) * CHL Order of Merit of Chile - Knight BAR

2nd Class of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(between 1921 and 1925) * Order of the White Rose Ribbon bar

Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) 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. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

(between 1921 and 1925) * PER Order of the Sun of Peru - Knight BAR

Commander of the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

(between 1921 and 1925) * Knight 1st Class of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

with oak leaves (between 1915 and 1921) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(before 1915) * Cavaliere SSML BAR

Knight of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

(before 1915) * D-PRU EK 1914 2 Klasse BAR

2nd Class of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(before 1918) * PRU Roter Adlerorden BAR

Knight 3rd Class of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

(before 1915) * PRU Order of Crown ribbon

Knight 3rd Class of the Order of the Crown (before 1915) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Knight 3rd Class of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; 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 Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

(before 1915)

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (, 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 issues. Fellowship is limited to 120 ...

(1912) *Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () 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 military (army and air force) and de ...

(1923) *Honorary member of the

(1932)

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Entry
in '' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsström, Claës 1876 births 1964 deaths Swedish Navy vice admirals People from Visby Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen Naval attachés for Sweden Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword