History

The Order of Ushakov was established on March 3, 1944 by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It was created as a high level award for naval officers only. The Order was designed by M.A Shipelevski, E.A Berkov and B.M Khomich. The Order was named after Russian Admiral Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov (1744-1817) and was chosen to appeal to Russian patriotism. The Order of Ushakov has two classes. They are nearly identical, however, there are different materials used and a wreath is present on the I Class.

The I Class medal was conferred upon naval officers in recognition of exceptional leadership and actions in naval combat that destroy part of a numerically superior force; for daring raids against enemy forces resulting in significant destruction; for actions against enemy communications that led to the destruction of enemy ships and convoys; for exceptional organization of a naval unit that was part of a naval landing; for a successful combat mission; for excellent leadership that supports a major operation's success. The I Class was awarded 47 times, 37 of which went to individuals while 10 went to units.

The I Class is composed of platinum, gold, silver and blue enamel. It consists of four pieces, creating a five-point star. Four rivets are present on the reverse of the platinum star, securing the silver anchor and chain piece. The center medallion, made of gold and blue enamel is attached to the other pieces by two rivets. The reverse center presents a hole with three spokes, with the center screwpost in the center of the spokes. The Monetny Dvor mint mark is stamped in one line, below the 12 o'clock rivet. The serial number is hand engraved on the platinum star piece. The serial numbers range from roughly 1-120.

The obverse Russian inscription translates to: "Admiral Ushakov".