[1][2] He was the son of the landowner Peder Johan Julius Dyrssen and his wife Gustafva Wilhelmina (née Hagerman).

[1] Wilhelm Dyrssen and his twin brother Gustaf graduated from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy in autumn 1877.

[4] Dyrssen devoted himself as an officer first at the technology of the naval artillery and then to staff duty and advancing to higher positions at sea.

After being minister for naval affairs from 1906 to 1907 in Arvid Lindman's first cabinet, he was called as a member of the committee, which had the task of examining the issue of an adequate coastal defence ship type and whose work resulted in the then under the political feuds much talked-about F-type.

In this position, he got the opportunity to develop an unshakable calm as well as other solid commander qualities, especially during preparedness along the Swedish west coast in connection with Union crisis in 1905.