Unique album of postcards collected by the hero of the Battle of Tsushima donated to the Presidential Library

The electronic collections of the Presidential Library are added with unique archival documents. Thus, during the campaign, dedicated to preserving the historical memory of the siege of Leningrad and the Great Patriotic War, Petersburg resident Lyudmila Gubanova donated for digitization materials relating to the life and work of her relative, a participant of not only the Great Patriotic War, but also the famous Battle of Tsushima (May 1905) – rear admiral engineer Vladimir Aleksandrovich Satkevich (1876–1976). 

V. A. Satkevich was one of those who approached the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, teaching sailors in the hydrographic area. However, the story of the life and work of the rear admiral engineer goes far beyond the limits of 1941-1945. Not for the first time, thanks to the campaign of the Presidential Library dedicated to war and siege, rare documents covering other periods of national history are received to the institution.  

Vladimir Satkevich lived a long and interesting life almost a century long. He was born on December 24, 1876 (January 6, 1877 in a new style) in the family of a marine doctor. In August 1883, he graduated from two classes of home preparatory school with a meritorious certificate. In 1887 he entered the Kronstadt real school, three classes of which he graduated in 1890 with a Certificate of Recognition for the second and third classes.  

From 1890 to 1896, he was a graduate of the Naval Cadet Corps: out of 15 subjects, only two received 11 points, for the rest 12 each (the highest mark).

Having completed the naval practice, he received the first officer rank - midshipman. And in 1904-1905, already in the rank of lieutenant and the post of senior navigator officer of the battleship Oryol of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, commanded by Vice-Admiral Z. P. Rozhdestvensky, made the transition from the Baltic Sea to the Far East around Europe and Africa along the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

On May 14–15, 1905, in the Korean Strait, not far from Tsushima Island, he engaged in battle with the Japanese squadron commanded by Admiral Togo. It was the same Battle of Tsushima - the decisive naval battle of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and one of the largest naval battles with the participation of the Russian fleet. 

With a significant advantage in power, the Japanese defeated the squadron of Rozhestvensky. In that battle, Lieutenant Satkevich received head contusion and, together with a large number of Russian sailors from the dead ships, was captured in Japan, from which he was released only in April 1906.

Later, already in extreme old age, Vladimir Alexandrovich told his relatives that in the Battle of Tsushima the God saved him from certain death. On his chest there was an amulet, into which, with the explosion of a Japanese shell, a fragment fell. Amulet was ruined, the sailor received a concussion, but survived.

By the way, V. A. Satkevich became one of the prototypes of the famous novel by A. S. Novikov-Priboy “Tsushima”.

Of particular interest is the album of postcards handed over to the Presidential Library with views of Japan, Madagascar and other countries, collected by the senior navigator officer of the Orel battleship of the 2nd Pacific Squadron Vladimir Satkevich during the aforementioned transition from the Baltic Sea to the Far East in 1904-1905, and also while in Japanese captivity in 1905-1906. Part of the postcards is addressed to the future wife of officer Vera Nikolaevna Shebashova. Some places on these illustrations are signed, some are not. At least, the squadron's parking places are known: Dakar (Senegal) - in November, Madagascar - in December 1904, Nosy-Be island - in February - March of the next, 1905, Colombo (Sri Lanka) - in April. Being in Japanese captivity, Satkevich was in the cities of Sindai (Sendai) and Tokyo.

In the following years, Vladimir Aleksandrovich was very friendly with John of Kronstadt, who in 1907 even baptized his son Nicholas. Then, until the end of his life, he conducted correspondence with the abbots of the cathedrals, who in the days of major church holidays sent him congratulations and blessings. 

After the Russo-Japanese War and the captivity, Satkevich served in the 2nd Navy Division and the Training and Mine Detachment of the Baltic Fleet. He remained loyal to the Navy even after the October Revolution of 1917. In October 1918, he was appointed navigator in a specialty with experience in long voyages at the Main Hydrographic Office as head of the department for publishing and editing books and swimming aids: trainings, instructions and guides on navigation, descriptions of bays, ports and open spaceships.

Later V. A. Satkevich was a teacher of the M. V. Frunze Higher Naval School, trained hydrograph officers, along with another rear-admiral and also a participant in the Battle of Tsushima, I. N. Dmitriev, took part in adjusting the Navy’s governing documents — regulations and instructions on combat and daily fleet activities — taking into account the experience of the Great Patriotic War.

In June 1947, at the age of 70, V. A. Satkevich retired, but continued to work in the M. V. Frunze Higher Naval School a freelance teacher for many years to come... Vladimir Alexandrovich died on July 7, 1976, not lived through a few months before his centenary anniversary.