Gösta Ehrensvärd

Vice Admiral Count Gösta Carl Albert Ehrensvärd (10 February 1885 – 2 November 1973) was a Swedish Navy officer.

For the Swedish chemist, see Gösta Ehrensvärd (chemist).

Count Gösta Ehrensvärd
Nickname(s)	Gösta Carl Albert Ehrensvärd
Born	(1885-02-10)10 February 1885 Skabersjö, Sweden
Died	2 November 1973(1973-11-02) (aged 88) Hässleholm, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Swedish Navy
Years of service	1904–1950
Rank	Vice admiral
Commands held	HSwMS Oscar II HSwMS Drottning Victoria Chief of the Naval Staff Coastal Fleet South Coast Navy District
Relations	Carl August Ehrensvärd (father) Carl August Ehrensvärd (brother) Augustin Ehrensvärd (brother) Albert Ehrensvärd (uncle) Augustin Ehrensvärd (great-grandfather) Archibald Douglas (cousin)

Early life

Ehrensvärd was born on 10 February 1885 in Skabersjö, Svedala Municipality, Sweden, the son of Admiral, Count Carl August Ehrensvärd (1858–1944) and his wife baroness Lovisa Ulrika "Ulla" (née Thott). He was the brother of Chief of the Army, General Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)[1] and Deputy Director of the Ministry of Defence Augustin Ehrensvärd (1887–1968).[2] His great-grandfather was the fortress builder Augustin Ehrensvärd, his uncle was Albert Ehrensvärd and his cousin was Archibald Douglas.

Career

He became a sea cadet in 1898 and was commissioned into the Swedish Navy as an acting sub lieutenant in 1904 after passing the naval officer examination.[3] Ehrensvärd was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1906. Ehrensvärd passed the higher course at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1910 to 1911 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1913. He was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1916 to 1919 and at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1918 to 1922 when he was promoted to commander.[1] Seagoing services in the 1910s was partly as captain and division commander of torpedo boats.[4]

Ehrensvärd was commanding officer of the Destroyer Division in 1919 and from 1923 to 1924.[5] He was then head of the Communications Department at the Naval Staff from 1927 to 1929, captain of the HSwMS Oscar II in 1929 and was head of the Operations Department at the Naval Staff from 1929 to 1932 and was promoted to captain in 1933.[5] Ehrensvärd was captain of the HSwMS Drottning Victoria from 1932 to 1933 and flag captain in the staff of the Chief of the Coastal Fleet from 1933 to 1936. He was Chief of the Naval Staff from 1937 to 1939 and was promoted to rear admiral in 1938. Ehrensvärd was Chief of the Coastal Fleet from 1939 to 1942 and commanding admiral of the South Coast Navy District from 1942 to 1950 when he was promoted to vice admiral.[1]

Other work

Ehrensvärd was editor of the journal Tidskrift i sjöväsendet from 1925 to 1927 and a member of the 1930 Defense Commission from 1930 to 1932.[5] He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 1933 and a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1920 (honorary member in 1938).[1]

Personal life

On 5 January 1909 he married Anna Enell (born (1886–1972),[6] the daughter of pharmacist Henrik Enell and Emma (née Öst). He was the father of Gösta (1910–1980), Carl August (1913–1982) and Ulla (1918–1983).[1] Ehrensvärd died on 2 November 1973 in Hässleholm[6] and was buried at Tosterup cemetery in Tomelilla Municipality.[7]

Dates of rank

• 1904 – Acting Sub-Lieutenant (Underlöjtnant)
• 1906 – Sub-Lieutenant (Löjtnant)
• 1913 – Lieutenant (Kapten)
• 1922 – Commander (Kommendörkapten)
• 1933 – Captain (Kommendör)
• 1938 – Rear admiral
• 1950 – Vice admiral

Awards and decorations

Officers aboard the HSwMS Sverige in 1939: from the left lieutenant A.O.J. Falkman, Chief of the Coastal Fleet, rear admiral Gösta Ehrensvärd, lieutenant B. Bertelsson and captain Helge Strömbäck.

Ehrensvärd's awards:[1]

• King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1948)
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
• Knight of the Order of the Polar Star
• Knight of the Order of Vasa
• Commander First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog
• Commander of the Order of St. Olav with star
• Commander First Class of the Crosses of Naval Merit
• Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
• Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy
• Knight Third Class of the Order of Saint Stanislaus
• Fourth Class of the Order of the Medjidie
• Danish Medal of Liberation
• Swedish Auxiliary Naval Corps' gold medal (Sjövärnskårens guldmedalj)[3]

References

1. Davidsson, Åke, ed. (1966). Vem är vem?. 4, Skåne, Halland, Blekinge [Who is Who?. 4, Scania, Halland, Blekinge] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. pp. 191–192.
2. G U (31 December 1972). "Namn att minnas - Gösta Ehrensvärd" [Name to remember - Gösta Ehrensvärd]. Svensk tidskrift (in Swedish). Stockholm: Svensk tidskrift: 266. SELIBR 8258426.
3. Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1948). Vem är vem?. D. 3, Götalandsdelen utom Skåne [Who is Who?. D. 3, Götaland part except Scania] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. pp. 240–241.
4. Blidberg, Einar (1973). "Gösta Ehrensvärd" (PDF). Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (in Swedish). Carlskrona: Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (6): 427. SELIBR 8258455.
5. Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 229.
6. Sveriges dödbok 1901-2009 [Swedish death index 1901-2009] (in Swedish) (Version 5.0 ed.). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2010. ISBN 978-91-87676-59-8. SELIBR 11931231.
7. "Gösta Ehrensvärd" (in Swedish). Gravar.se. Retrieved 28 September 2016.

Military offices
Preceded by Charles de Champs	Chief of the Naval Staff 1937–1939	Succeeded by Yngve Ekstrand
Preceded by Fabian Tamm	Chief of the Coastal Fleet 1939–1942	Succeeded by Yngve Ekstrand
Preceded by Hans Simonsson	South Coast Navy District 1942–1949	Succeeded by Erik Samuelsson
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by Hans Simonsson	Chairman of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences 1943–?	Succeeded by Erik Samuelson