The collection of the Penza Literature Museum includes a letter written in 1940 by Yelizaveta Grigoryevna Badigina to her grandson Konstantin Sergeyevich Badigin, the famous captain of the Georgy Sedov icebreaker.
In 1937–1938, Konstantin Badigin served as the second navigator on the Sadko icebreaker. In October 1937, the Sadko was trapped in fast ice in the Laptev Sea, along with two other icebreakers, Georgy Sedov and Malygin. The former was equipped with steam engines. On March 18, 1938, most of the crew members were evacuated by plane, and Konstantin Badigin was transferred to the Georgy Sedov where he became captain. He and his 14 crew members drifted in the Arctic ice for 812 days (from October 23, 1937 to January 13, 1940), until they reached the Greenland Sea. In 1938, the Yermak icebreaker arrived to rescue the Sedov crew, and it was obvious that the ship could not be freed. Konstantin Badigin refused to leave the damaged icebreaker, despite being offered the chance to do so.
“My dear bright boy! I hope to hear soon that you’re already on your way to us. When you started drifting on the Sedov with your friends, I felt very anxious. The ice, the open water, and the damaged rudder seemed so very terrible. In my mind, I was afraid for your life, but in my heart, I rejoiced because of your courage after you (all) replied ‘We would leave the Sedov only if it docks at one of the Soviet ports.’ It is truly noble, my boy! When I read your letter, I felt as if I was really young, reading a book about brave sailors. And this is no fiction, this is real life on the Sedov, my sweet friend. It’s a pity your grandfather didn’t live to see this,” Yelizaveta Badigina wrote in a letter to her grandson.
