Allegiance Soviet Union Battles and wars Cold War Years of service 1945-1977 Service/branch Soviet Navy | Battles/wars Cold War Rank Rear admiral Name Lev Zhiltsov | |
Born February 2, 1928
Ivanteyevka Moscow Oblast, Russia ( 1928-02-02 ) Commands held Soviet submarine K-3 Leninsky Komsomol Awards Hero of the Soviet Union
Order of Lenin (twice)
Order of the Red Star
Order for Service to the Nation in the USSR Armed Forces, 3rd class Died February 27, 1996, Moscow, Russia Education United States Naval Academy | ||
Lev Mikhailovich Zhiltsov (Russian: Жильцо́в Лев Миха́йлович) (1928–1996) was a Soviet Navy submarine commander and Admiral of the Cold War
Zhiltsov entered the Naval preparatory school in Leningrad in 1942 and the Caspian Higher Naval School in 1945, the date from which his naval service officially began. In 1949, he graduated, was commissioned an officer and assigned to serve on the submarine M113 of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1951, Zhiltsov attended Advanced Naval Submarine Navigation courses in Leningrad, which he completed with distinction in 1952. In 1954, he was assigned as second in command to the first Soviet nuclear submarine. In June 1959, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for his active participation in the construction of the lead Soviet nuclear-powered submarine and given command of that submarine, the submarine Leninsky Komsomol in the rank of Captain 2nd Rank. In 1962, he twice took his submarine to the North Pole and on 20 July 1962 Zhiltsov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for this exploit. In 1966, he graduated from the Naval Academy in Leningrad after which he became commander of the Baltic Fleet submarine division and held various other command positions in the Baltic and Northern Fleets. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1975 and retired from active duty in 1977. In retirement he served on the Navy Acceptance Commission for new ships.
Zhiltsov retired in 1977 and he later died in 1996.