Award History
The Medal of Ushakov was a Soviet military award created on March 3, 1944 by decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It was named in honour of Russian admiral Fyodor Ushakov who never lost a battle and was proclaimed patron saint of the Russian Navy.
The Medal of Ushakov was awarded to sailors and soldiers, petty officers and sergeants, ensigns and warrant officers of the Soviet Navy, Naval Infantry and naval units of KGB Border Troops for courage and bravery displayed both in wartime and in peacetime during the defence of the Soviet Union in naval theatres, while protecting the maritime borders of the USSR, during military duties with a risk to life.
Note: the "peacetime" awards were a 1980 modification to the statute of the medal, prior to that, the medal could only be awarded for wartime acts. The sole exception was the October 1961 award of the Medal of Ushakov to Captain Second Rank Nikolai Shumkov for commanding the submarine B-130 that test launched the first Soviet nuclear torpedo.
An estimated 14,000 to 16,000 medals of Ushakov were awarded from its creation in 1944 to the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.
By Presidential Decree № 442 of March 2, 1994, the Soviet Medal of Ushakov was retained in the same basic design by the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the USSR. Its statute was amended by Presidential Decrees, №19 of January 6, 1999 and №1099 of September 7, 2010.
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