LYMAN K. SWENSON, CAPT, USN
Lyman Swenson '16
Lucky Bag
From the 1916 Lucky Bag:
Loss
Lyman was lost when USS Juneau (CL 52) was sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. He was the ship's first and only commanding officer.
His (2nd) wife, Lauretta, was listed as next of kin.
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Captain Lyman Knute Swenson (NSN: 0-9624), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Light Cruiser U.S.S. JUNEAU (CL-52), during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Savo Island on the night of 12 - 13 November, 1942. On this occasion the force to which Captain Swenson was attached engaged at close quarters and defeated a superior enemy force, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country's forces. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, Captain Swenson contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 313 (April 1943)
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Juneau (CL-52)
Photographs
From Find A Grave
"Captain Lyman K. Swenson, USN, ashore at Fox Harbor, Newfoundland, 14 June 1942, while he was in command of USS Juneau (CL-52)," from Navsource
Twelfth Naval District Headquarters, San Francisco, California Officers of the headquarters staff, December 1923. Those present are (front row, left to right): Captain Stanford E. Moses, USN, Assistant to the Commandant; Rear Edward Simpson, USN, Commandant, 12th Naval District; Captain George H. Barber, USN(MC), and Captain Ammen Farenholt, USN(MC). (rear row, left to right): Chief Pharmacist William T. Gildberg, USN; Lieutenant Errol W. Willet, USN(DC), (possibly); Lieutenant John H. Buchanan, USN; Lieutenant Commander John P. Bowden, USN; Lieutenant Albert H. Rooks, USN; Lieutenant Lyman K. Swenson, USN; Commander Albert S. Rees, USN, and Commander John Irwin, USN(SC). From Naval History and Heritage Command
Personal Life
Lyman was previously married to Milo Abercrombie; they had two children together. The marriage ended in 1925 and turned incredibly bitter, including Milo making accusations of molestation. Lyman was awarded sole custody of the children (Cecilia and Lyman Jr.) by the California Appellate Court in 1929.
Career
From Wikipedia:
Swenson was born in Pleasant Grove, Utah and graduated from the Naval Academy on June 2, 1916. After service on board Vermont (BB-20) and USS Denver (C-14), he prepared for submarine duty. After serving on board USS D-1 (SS-17) during World War I, he was given command of H-6, 26 May 1919.
In 1921 he returned to surface ships, serving in USS Arkansas (BB-33) and USS New Mexico (BB-40), before commanding Isabel (PY-10) and then Destroyer Division 64. Juneau (CL-52) came under his command 18 December 1941 while still under construction. The newly promoted captain and the newly built light cruiser were both lost in the latter stage of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal 13 November 1942. Twice torpedoed during what historian S. E. Morison called the “wildest most desperate sea fight since Jutland”, Juneau sank rapidly, taking under the captain and most of her crew, including the five Sullivan brothers. This battle prevented the Japanese from landing reinforcements on Guadalcanal.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
January 1917
Ensign, USS Denver
March 1918
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS D-1
January 1919
Lieutenant, USS Birmingham
January 1920
Lieutenant, USS H-6
January 1921
Lieutenant, commanding officer, USS H-6
January 1922
Lieutenant, USS New Mexico
Others at this command:
July 1924
Lieutenant, USS Cuyama
September 1924
Ensign, USS Cuyama
November 1924
Ensign, USS Cuyama
January 1925
Lieutenant, USS Cuyama
March 1925
Lieutenant, USS Cuyama
May 1925
Lieutenant, USS Cuyama
January 1926
Lieutenant, USS Tennessee
April 1927
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
October 1927
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
January 1928
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
April 1928
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
July 1928
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
October 1928
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
January 1929
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
April 1929
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.
Others at this command:
July 1929
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
October 1929
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
January 1930
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
April 1930
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
October 1930
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
January 1931
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
April 1931
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
July 1931
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
October 1931
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Isabel
January 1932
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
CDR Robert English '11
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
Others at or embarked at this command:
April 1932
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
CDR Robert English '11
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT John Welch '23
LT Louis Drexler, Jr. '23
October 1932
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
January 1933
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
April 1933
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LTjg Neville McDowell '24
LTjg Hubert Hayter '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
July 1933
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg James Smith, Jr. '25
LTjg Knowlton Williams '25
October 1933
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LTjg Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
April 1934
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Academy
Others at this command:
LCDR Charles Cecil '16
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Register '21
LT William Gray '21
LT George Brooke '21
LT Howard Healy '22
1LT Charles Kail '23
LT Hallsted Hopping '24
LT Lawrence McPeake '24
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25
LTjg Andrew Harris '25
July 1934
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
October 1934
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
January 1935
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
April 1935
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
October 1935
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
January 1936
Lieutenant Commander, commanding officer, USS Truxton
April 1936
Lieutenant Commander, 1st lieutenant, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
July 1936
Lieutenant Commander, 1st lieutenant, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg Vernon Hain '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Truman Carpenter '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
January 1937
Lieutenant Commander, 1st lieutenant, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
LTjg Vernon Hain '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Joseph Loughlin, Jr. '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Ludwell Pickett, Jr. '33 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg William Kane '33 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
April 1937
Lieutenant Commander, 1st lieutenant, USS Lexington
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 2B)
LTjg Vernon Hain '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Philip Ashworth '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Joseph Loughlin, Jr. '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Ludwell Pickett, Jr. '33 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg William Kane '33 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
September 1937
Commander, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
January 1938
Commander, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
July 1938
Commander, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
January 1939
Commander, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
October 1939
Commander, commanding officer, Destroyer Division 64 & USS Twiggs
June 1940
Commander, commanding officer, Destroyer Division 64 & USS Twiggs
November 1940
Commander, commanding officer, Destroyer Division 17, USS Morris
April 1941
Commander, commanding officer, Destroyer Division 17, USS Morris
Namesake
USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD 729) was named for Lyman; the ship was sponsored by his daughter.
Class of 1916
Lyman is one of 16 members of the Class of 1916 on Virtual Memorial Hall.