Ushakov Medal

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.

Modern statute

The Medal of Ushakov is awarded to soldiers and sailors of the Navy and of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for bravery and courage displayed while defending the Motherland and the public interests of the Russian Federation in naval theatres of military operations, while protecting the state borders of the Russian Federation, in carrying out naval combat missions with vessels of the Navy and/or Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, during exercises and manoeuvres in the performance of military duties under conditions involving a risk to life, as well as for excellent performance in naval combat training.

The Russian Federation Order of Precedence dictates the Medal of Ushakov is to be worn on the left breast with other medals immediately after the Medal of Suvorov.

Award description

The Medal of Ushakov is a 36mm diameter circular silver medal with a raised rim. The obverse has at its center the relief bust of admiral Ushakov facing forward, surrounded by a slightly raised band bearing the inscription "ADMIRAL * USHAKOV" (Russian: "АДМИРАЛ УШАКОВ"), the two words being separated at the top by a star and at the bottom by two laurel branches. The circular medal covers a naval anchor with the stock and flukes protruding at the bottom and the arms and shackle protruding at the top.

The entire anchor is visible on the otherwise plain reverse where a relief "N" is to the left of the anchor, the award serial number goes next to it (the serial number used to be on the right side of the anchor during the Soviet Era). Below the area reserved for the award serial number is the maker's mark.

The Medal of Ushakov is suspended from a standard Russian pentagonal mount by a small silver metallic chain hanging from both upper corners of the mount going through the anchor shackle and bottom of the pentagonal mount. The mount is covered by an overlapping 24mm wide silk moiré blue ribbon with 2mm blue and white edge stripes.

Soviet recipients (partial list)

The following individuals were awarded the Soviet Medal of Ushakov:

Foreign recipients (partial list)

The following individuals were awarded the Soviet Medal of Ushakov:

Frederick Henley (Royal Navy) was set to be presented the medal by the Russian government however the British government denied Mr. Henley the medal because the honour went against rules governing medals given by other countries. In 2013 the awarding of the Ushakov medal was made an exception to these rules by the British government.

In 2014 30 U.K merchant seamen, including Mr Duncan McFarlane Christison, were awarded the Ushakov Medal for World War II service

In 2015 South African James (Jim) Cooper, 93, was paid a personal visit by Russian consul-general Vyacheslav Levin at his home in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to be presented with the Ushakov Medal for World War II service.

In 2015 the medal was awarded to Harold James Lovering of Ottery St Mary, Devon for World War II service on the Arctic Convoys.

In February 2015, Harry Darby and Dave Hill of Market Harborough and Ted Hancox of Burntwood were presented the Ushakov Medal by Sergey Fedichkin from the Russian embassy for their services on the arctic convoys during World War II.

In 2015, the Embassy of Russia in Washington, D.C. presented the Ushakov Medal to William D. Hahn. The Ushakov Medal was awarded to Mr. Hahn by the order of the President of the Russian Federation on March 5, 2015. He received the Ushakov Medal for his World War II service aboard the USS Alabama in support of the Arctic Convoys. While serving aboard the Alabama , Mr. Hahn was a member of the Gunnery Department, 10th Division. Mr. Hahn lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Lt Cdr George Verdon RN. HMS Norfolk (convoy PQ 17) HMS Kent, HMS Vigilant, HMS Mauritius. Awarded the medal in 2015 for service on Russian Convoys 1941-1943. His youngest son Air Commodore AM Verdon (formerly HM Military attache in Moscow) received the medal on his behalf.

In 2016 ,On 17 April Attaché of the Russian Embassy Elizaveta Vokorina presented the Ushakov Medals to three Britons – Mr Leslie ATKINSON, Mr Stanley HARRISON and Mr Douglas EYRES, who were awarded this military honour by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation for their personal courage and bravery displayed during the service in the Arctic Convoys in WWII