Antanas Kaškelis – symbol of the Lithuanian Navy and Commander of the Training Ship „President Smetona” (1935–1940)

Between 1935 and 1940, Antanas Kaškelis was the symbol of the Lithuanian Navy and the long-time commander of the training ship President Smetona. To many young sailors, he seemed like a man from another era. With his beard and vast experience, he made a great impression on the ship’s crew. He was already over fifty and had served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 in the Pacific Ocean. He had graduated from the long-distance sailing school in Vladivostok and, during World War I, was again mobilized and commanded mine trawlers in the harsh port of Arkhangelsk.

After Lithuania regained its independence, Kaškelis joined the Lithuanian Army as a volunteer. For ten years, he served in various positions: in military commandant offices, logistics units, and military transport. Then, in the summer of 1927, Lithuania purchased a German mine ship, M59, built ten years earlier.

After World War I, the ship had been disarmed and preserved with tar. Lithuania bought it when the Klaipėda Region was regained—bringing not only joy from gaining a port and access to the sea but also concerns about coastal protection and smuggling. These became the main tasks of the ship.

After a few months of repairs, President Smetona went out to sea. However, the first captain, Adomas Daugirdas, had an unsuccessful start: with an inexperienced crew and heavy storms, the ship ended up in the port of Gdańsk and was only later returned to Klaipėda. After this, Daugirdas had to step down, and the ship’s command was passed to Antanas Kaškelis.

Kaškelis was full of energy and dedication. From January 26, 1933, to April 1, 1935, he not only supervised the ship’s repairs in Liepāja but also worked as a clerk at the Klaipėda Region Military Command. Overseeing the repairs was not easy—there were many disagreements with contractors and the Klaipėda port administration. Interestingly, before the official creation of the Lithuanian Navy (on August 1, 1935), President Smetona belonged to the Lithuanian Armoured Vehicle Battalion. After the Navy was established, the ship became Lithuania’s first and only naval warship.

As an experienced seaman, Kaškelis was not only a captain and a teacher for young sailors but also a dedicated caretaker of the ship, even during repairs in the docks of Klaipėda or Liepāja. He stayed with the ship in 1939, after Nazi Germany took the Klaipėda Region. Without access to a port, President Smetona moved between Liepāja and Šventoji.

Kaškelis was deeply respected. He dedicated his later life to the development of Lithuania’s national navy. As commander, he actively worked on forming the ship’s crew, setting rules for sailors’ rights and duties, and creating the ship’s anti-aircraft defense plan. He took part in developing Lithuania’s vision as a maritime state, even proposing a plan for a separate naval base in Klaipėda. He also submitted designs for navy uniforms and promoted water sports. He was a member of the Lithuanian Yachting Union and one of the organizers and jury members of the first international regatta Klaipėda–Nida in 1938.

Kaškelis became commander of President Smetona after Daugirdas’ failure, but ironically, after an accident in 1937—when the ship ran aground near Šventoji during a storm—Kaškelis did not receive a higher rank. On December 1, 1939, at the age of sixty, he was released from service. During his years on the ship, he showed great calmness and self-control. Even in difficult situations, he never lost his composure. The crew respected him deeply—he never scolded sailors but always gave advice and helped fix mistakes.

During the Soviet occupation, Kaškelis shared the fate of many Lithuanian officers. He was arrested in Palanga by NKVD agents and imprisoned until 1941. His home in Palanga was taken over by Soviet border guards. Luckily, he was later exchanged by the Soviets for a few arrested communists in Germany. He was released from prison and left for Germany with his wife and daughter. Antanas Kaškelis died on June 12, 1944, in Schivelbein (now Świdwin, Poland). His exact burial place is unknown.

At the Vytautas the Great War Museum, visitors can explore the exhibition on the Lithuanian Armed Forces from 1918 to 1940. There, they can admire a detailed model of the ship President Smetona, made by Vladas Drupas in 2012, reconstructions of sailors’ uniforms from that era, a naval mine, and a portrait of Antanas Kaškelis, which will be on display until September 1, 2024.

Items from the collections of the Vytautas the Great War Museum.