Torsten Lindh

{{Short description|Swedish Navy officer (1941–2020)}}

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| name = Torsten Lindh

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| birth_name = Erik Torsten Lindh

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1941|8|10|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Gothenburg, Sweden

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|8|7|1941|8|10|df=yes}}

| death_place = Orust, Sweden

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| allegiance = Sweden

| branch = Swedish Navy

| serviceyears = 1965–2001

| rank = Rear Admiral

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| commands = {{bulleted list|{{HSwMS|Norrtälje|T133|6}}|{{HSwMS|Strömstad|T141|6}}|3rd Patrol Boat Division|3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla|Joint Staff|Inspector General of the Navy|Naval Center/Naval Tactical Command}}

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Rear Admiral Erik Torsten Lindh (10 August 1941 – 7 August 2020) was a Swedish Navy officer. He was Inspector General of the Navy from 1998 to 2001.

Early life

Lindh was born on 10 August 1941 in Gothenburg, Sweden, the son of managing director Arne Lindh and his wife Margareta (née Richs).{{cite book |editor-last=Salander Mortensen |editor-first=Jill |date=1996 |title=Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 |trans-title=Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Norstedt |isbn=91-1-960852-7 |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|3681533}} |url=https://runeberg.org/vemardet/1997/0679.html |page=679}} He passed studentexamen in Gothenburg in 1961. Before his military service at Bohuslän Regiment (I 17) in Uddevalla, Lindh studied mathematics at the university with the aim of becoming a civil engineer. He disliked the university and sent an application to the Swedish Navy and was accepted.{{cite journal |url=https://www.officersforbundet.se/globalassets/pdfer/officerstidningen/2011-2012/web_ot_4_12.pdf |journal=Officerstidningen |title=Amiral lär kidsen hålla koll på kulorna |first=Anders |last=Fahlman |year=2012 |number=4 |publisher=Officerarnas riksförbund |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|3614713}} |pages=14–15}}

Career

Lindh was commissioned as an officer after graduating from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy in 1965 and then served as first officer of the torpedo boat {{HSwMS|Astrea|T112|6}}. Lindh was later captain of the torpedo boats {{HSwMS|Norrtälje|T133|6}} and {{HSwMS|Strömstad|T141|6}} and commanding officer of the 3rd Patrol Boat Division (3. patrullbåtsdivisionen). He attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College in 1975 and served in the Planning and Budget Secretariat at the Ministry of Defence from 1983{{cite book |editor1-last=Spiegelberg |editor1-first=Christina |year=1984 |title=Sveriges statskalender. 1984 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Liber |isbn=91-38-90400-4 |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|3682782}} |url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1984/0066.html |page=64}} and attended the Swedish National Defence College in 1985. Lindh was commanding officer of the 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla from 1988 to 1989.{{cite web |url=http://www.hmsvastervik.se/Texter/historik/fljc_rapport.htm |publisher=HMS Västerviks Vänner |website=www.hmsvastervik.se |title=4.YTATTACKFLOTTILJEN och 3.YTSTRIDSFLOTTILJEN I KARLSKRONA 1983-2003 |access-date=9 November 2017 |language=sv}} From 1989 to 1992, Lindh was head of the Program Staff (Programledning) in the Naval Staff at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters.{{cite book |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/59882/gupea_2077_59882_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |editor-last=Spiegelberg |editor-first=Christina |title=Sveriges statskalender 1992 |year=1992 |publisher=Allmänna |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=913812694X |id={{SELIBR|3682771}} |page=114}} He was promoted to senior captain in 1993.{{cite book |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/59883/gupea_2077_59883_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |editor-last=Almqvist |editor-first=Gerd |title=Sveriges statskalender 1993 |year=1993 |publisher=Allmänna |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=9138128098 |id={{SELIBR|3682772}} |page=395}} He served as head of the Swedish Armed Forces Internal Audit until the 1 July 1994 when he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Director Joint Staff (Chef för ledningsstaben) in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters.{{cite journal |url=https://www.aef.se/Flygvapnet/Tidskrifter/FV_Nytt/Flygvapennytt_1994-1.pdf |journal=Flygvapennytt |publisher=Flygstaben |title=Sammanställning över utnämningar och nya befattningar |number=1 |year=1994 |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|8257600}} |page=34}} Lindh served as the Inspector General of the Navy and commander of the Naval Center/Naval Tactical Command from 1998 to 2001.{{cite journal |url=http://www.aff.a.se/vf021_05.htm |journal=Vårt försvar: Tidskrift |title=Marinens nye generalinspektör |trans-title=The Navy's new Inspector General |first=Erik |last=Lidén |year=2002 |number=1 |publisher=Allmänna försvarsföreningen |volume=113 |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|3430365}} |access-date=9 November 2017}}

=Post-retirement=

Lindh retired from active service in 2001 at the age of 60 and was then chairman of the Air Defense Investigation (Luftförsvarsutredningen) for one year. He then took up a position as a teacher of mathematics at Samskolan in Saltsjöbaden. He was named Teacher of the Year by the students. Lindh was a board member of the Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish Fortifications Agency. He was also a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. During the years 1997–2003, Lindh was chairman of the Naval Officers' Association in Stockholm (Sjöofficerssällskapet i Stockholm). He also actively participated in the Friends of the Vasa Museum association and the Vasa Redeviva foundation. He was also chairman of the Ymer 80 Foundation and was involved in Swedeship Marine, which builds fast and powerful aluminum boats for professional use.

Personal life

In 1966 he married banker Kristina Bane (born 1943), the daughter of civil engineer Per Bane and Eivor (née Almér). They had two children: Magnus and Annika. He lived in Västerhaninge and had a summer house on Orust.{{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/arkiv/2020-09-12/44/SVD |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Torsten Lindh, 1941–2021 |first1=Dick |last1=Börjesson |author-link=Dick Börjesson |first2=Peter |last2=Nordbeck |author-link2=Peter Nordbeck (Swedish Navy officer) |page=44 |date=12 September 2020 |access-date=1 September 2022 |language=sv |url-access=subscription}}

Death

Lindh died on 7 August 2020 in Kungsviken, Orust Municipality, Sweden. The funeral was held on 28 August 2020 in {{ill|Morlanda Church|sv|Morlanda kyrka}} on Orust.{{cite web |url=https://www.familjesidan.se/cases/erik-torsten-lindh/funeral-notices |website=www.familjesidan.se |title=DÖDSANNONS |accessdate=8 December 2020 |language=sv}} He was interred in Morlanda Old Cemetery on 2 October 2020.{{cite web |url=http://svenskagravar.se/gravsatt/103348348 |website=www.svenskagravar.se |title=Lindh, Erik Torsten |accessdate=8 December 2020 |language=sv}}

Dates of rank

  • 1965 – Acting sub-lieutenant
  • 19?? – Sub-lieutenant
  • 19?? – Lieutenant
  • 1976 – Lieutenant commander{{cite book |year=1978 |title=Sveriges statskalender. 1978 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Fritzes offentliga publikationer |isbn=91-38-03894-3 |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|3682759}} |url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1978/0505.html |page=505}}
  • 1981 – Commander{{cite book |editor1-last=Spiegelberg |editor1-first=Christina |year=1984 |title=Sveriges statskalender. 1984 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Liber |isbn=91-38-90400-4 |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|3682782}} |url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1984/0407.html |page=405}}
  • 1988 – Captain
  • 1993 – Senior captain
  • 1994 – Rear admiral

References

{{Reflist}}

{{S-start}}

{{S-mil}}

{{Succession box

| title = Joint Staff

| years = 1994–????

| before = Bengt Anderberg

| after = ?

}}

{{Succession box

| title = Inspector General of the Navy

| years = 1998–2001

| before = Peter Nordbeck
(as Chief of Naval Staff)

| after = Jörgen Ericsson

}}

{{Succession box

| title = Naval Center/Naval Tactical Command

| years = 1998–2001

| before = Peter Nordbeck

| after = Jörgen Ericsson

}}

{{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindh, Torsten}}

Category:1941 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:Swedish Navy rear admirals

Category:Military personnel from Gothenburg

Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences

Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences