LYMAN K. SWENSON, CAPT, USN
Lyman Swenson '16
Lucky Bag
From the 1916 Lucky Bag:
Lyman Knute Swenson
Provo, Utah
"Swanse" "Pinkey"
KNUTE the Terrible Dane came to us from the polygamous wilds of Utah. But his troubles were by no means over when his change of residence became permanent. From the instant that his sunny smile and glorious crown of hair incarnadine were seen by the first class they marked him for their very own. Many the monument that was unveiled thereafter, with Swanse playing the title role, and many the Plebe in the year 1913 that thanked his lucky stars that his name was not Swenson when the imperious bellow for "Swanse! Swanse" reverberated down the corridor.
Swanse early blossomed forth as an athlete. In a basketball game Plebe Year he threw a basket while the coach was watching, and was immediately placed on the training table, where he stayed approximately two weeks, returning at that time, full of honors, to his proper table, where he resumed his statuesque behavior.
But these activities are not Swanse's forte. By no means! As a breaker of hearts he is the peer of his classmates, be they ever so witty, be they ever so dexterous with the tea-cup and sandwich, or be they ever so handsome. The secret of his charm is his dear gray, unspoiled eye, his wholesome laugh, and his refreshing, ingenuous, unsuspecting want of tact. Swanse never utters an insincere word, never voices an unhappy thought, always has the best of intentions and whenever he opens his mouth usually manages to put his foot in it. Acrobatic, that last, but the truth.
Not many weeks from now this ruddy-cheeked Berserker with the heart of a man and the tenderness of a woman will walkover the gangway of a battleship and call it "home." To most of us he will be lost, for the Service is very wide. But the memory of the old lovable Swanse will always awaken in the hearts of his classmates a pang of regret that the parting had to be.
In the lap of Fortune lie the cards of our futures, and some of us will draw blanks. But if we could only stack the cards Swanse would have the best that Fortune holds for those whose hearts are solid gold.
"Willie, you claim to know everything, tell me this."
Buzzard; Lacrosse Squad (2, 1); Lacrosse Numerals; Basketball Squad (4).
Lyman Knute Swenson
Provo, Utah
"Swanse" "Pinkey"
KNUTE the Terrible Dane came to us from the polygamous wilds of Utah. But his troubles were by no means over when his change of residence became permanent. From the instant that his sunny smile and glorious crown of hair incarnadine were seen by the first class they marked him for their very own. Many the monument that was unveiled thereafter, with Swanse playing the title role, and many the Plebe in the year 1913 that thanked his lucky stars that his name was not Swenson when the imperious bellow for "Swanse! Swanse" reverberated down the corridor.
Swanse early blossomed forth as an athlete. In a basketball game Plebe Year he threw a basket while the coach was watching, and was immediately placed on the training table, where he stayed approximately two weeks, returning at that time, full of honors, to his proper table, where he resumed his statuesque behavior.
But these activities are not Swanse's forte. By no means! As a breaker of hearts he is the peer of his classmates, be they ever so witty, be they ever so dexterous with the tea-cup and sandwich, or be they ever so handsome. The secret of his charm is his dear gray, unspoiled eye, his wholesome laugh, and his refreshing, ingenuous, unsuspecting want of tact. Swanse never utters an insincere word, never voices an unhappy thought, always has the best of intentions and whenever he opens his mouth usually manages to put his foot in it. Acrobatic, that last, but the truth.
Not many weeks from now this ruddy-cheeked Berserker with the heart of a man and the tenderness of a woman will walkover the gangway of a battleship and call it "home." To most of us he will be lost, for the Service is very wide. But the memory of the old lovable Swanse will always awaken in the hearts of his classmates a pang of regret that the parting had to be.
In the lap of Fortune lie the cards of our futures, and some of us will draw blanks. But if we could only stack the cards Swanse would have the best that Fortune holds for those whose hearts are solid gold.
"Willie, you claim to know everything, tell me this."
Buzzard; Lacrosse Squad (2, 1); Lacrosse Numerals; Basketball Squad (4).
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.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Lyman graduated from Pleasant Grove high school. He then took a course in the normal department of Brigham Young University graduating in the spring of 1910. He then attended the college department.
In July 1912, Senator George Sutherland wrote the university’s president that Lyman had passed all the mental and physical tests for admission to the Naval Academy.
Per The Salt Lake Herald-Republican, September 7, 1919: Lyman was with the A L-4, operating in Bantry bay off the southwest coast of Ireland at a point near the spot where the Lusitania was sunk. He then patrolled the west coast with the R-17. His present craft, the H-6, was originally built for the Russians. When the Petrograd government collapsed the parts were turned over to the United States government and assembled and the boat put into active service.
Lyman married Milo Magdalene Abercrombie on August, 11, 1920, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. In December 1923, Lyman’s wife sued for divorce. She had previously divorced Baron Wilhelm Von Bricken after he was sent to federal prison for violating the neutrality of this country. Maria and John were her first children.
In January 1927, Lyman was awarded custody of his children Cecilia and Laurence. The children were to be turned over to his sister, but Milo disappeared with them. She later married a French marquis in Reno in March 1930.
Lyman married Lauretta Bruner by at least by 1929. He was in Shanghai when the court ordered his children be given to Lauretta.
In 1938, Lyman took his son named Robert Abercrombie Swensen to a school in New Jersey. Robert graduated from the Naval Academy in 1945 and was a pilot in 1950. He became a lieutenant commander, and he named his daughter Cecilia.
Lyman’s father was Bishop Knud Swenson, mother Anna Maria, and brothers Ezra and Wilford M. who was in the army at the Argonne battle. Siblings Clara and Louis died as infants. His father was married twice before and had eight other children.
Per American Fork Citizen, August 8, 1914, via researcher Kathy Franz, two letters written by Lyman:
Gibraltar, July 9, 1914.
My Dear Mother:
Here we are tied up in the mole at Gibraltar waiting for a ship to arrive, we don’t know when, to take us to England and from there home. The other two ships of our squadron left this afternoon for merry England, and I wish very much I could have been along with them. This is the third time we have visited this port, which isn’t very large, and I’ve seen all there is to see in it.
I’m not spending any more money here if we stay a month and when you don’t spend money there isn’t much you can do.
We had a fine time in Naples and Rome. The chaplain organized a party to make the trip up from Naples and I went along. We were blessed by the Pope and shown through the palace where he lives, which is the most wonderful place in the world, except for the church of St. Peters, which is just next door.
We saw a marble slab that Christ had stood on, the bones of the Apostle Peter, the catacombs where the early Christians were buried and the “colesseum,” where they were killed. We walked along the path where Julius Caesar drove in his chariot when he returned from a victory. We visited the Roman Forum where every stone is interesting historically. I wish John could have been along, and then took a drive along the Apian way.
Near Naples we visited a city which was buried by ashes from Vesuvius, which is a volcano near by. It has lately been uncovered and everything is just as they left it, even to the pictures on the walls. It was destroyed 79 years after Christ was born and judging from some of the pictures you see on the walls, it isn’t surprising that it was destroyed. It was one of the most interesting places I’ve ever visited. Next time I’ll tell you about the Amalfi drive which is absolutely the most beautiful drive on earth. There is another letter coming up soon.
Your affectionate son,
LymanGibraltar, July 10, 1914
My Dear Mother:
I find I have time to write you another letter so I am going to do it. You must excuse the sloppy letters I write, because we write all our letters on our knees and my fountain pen leaks every time I put it down.
I was going to tell you about the Amalfi drive which I dare say you never heard about before. It is nothing but a road 60 miles long, but there are more pretty pictures for me along that road than there are in the ten mile galleries of the Lovre. Just imagine some perfectly green mountains dropping straight down for 2000 feet in the bluest sea you ever saw, and then a nice automobile drive cut in the solid rock about 1000 feet above the water’s edge, with a three foot stone wall on the out-board side, with more crooks and turns than you can imagine. Every point is guarded by a time worn stone castle, and a monastery or convent is perched on every peak. Some of them are so high and steep that you can’t see how a man ever got there. There is one old convent which has been turned in to a hotel, and if ever I marry a rich girl, which I wont do because I’m going to marry a Utah girl, but I don’t know which one. I’m coming back there to live for a month.
Well I must close again and get ready to muster my duty squad. It seems like I’m always on duty on this ship. The Maine is coming over to get us in a week or so. The ship we are on has been sold to Greece for $6,000,000 and will probably never fly the stars and stripes in an American port again. Greece is preparing to fight Turkey, and when she does, you may hear of some good work from the old USS Idaho, because she was the best ship in the fleet before she got retired a year ago. I still wish we could have gone along to England with the rest of them.
Your affectionate son,
Lyman.
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 the 1916 Lucky Bag
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
From The Salt Lake Tribune on February 15, 1942
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
March 1918
January 1919
January 1920
January 1921
January 1922
July 1924
September 1924
November 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
January 1926
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
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
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
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
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
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
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
LTjg James Smith, Jr. '25
April 1934
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
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
July 1936
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
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
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
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Namesake
USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD 729) was named for Lyman; the ship was sponsored by his daughter.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.