As Tsar Alexander the Third once said, Russia has only two allies: the army and the navy. Indeed, ever since Peter the Great turned our country into a great maritime power, military sailors, midshipmen, admirals and captains of all ranks have played a huge role in its history. In order to appreciate their merits during the Second World War, special awards were established: the Nakhimov medal and the Ushakov medal. Today they are kept in many Russian families and in private collections of falerists around the world.
A few words about the admiral
Before considering Ushakov's medals, it is worth briefly describing the person in whose honor they were established, especially since this is one of the most extraordinary personalities among Russian military leaders and naval commanders.
Fyodor Ushakov began his career with participation in the Russian-Turkish war, which led to the independence of the Crimea from Turkey and to the conquest of the fortresses of Azov and Kerch by Russia. He won many naval battles, in which he proved himself to be an excellent strategist. In addition, Ushakov left a good memory of himself among the Greek and Bulgarian peoples and acted as a skillful diplomat in creating an independent republic on the Greek islands, as well as in the liberation of Italy.
After retiring, he took up charity work. In particular, at his own expense, Ushakov built a hospital for veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812 and supported the Sanaksar monastery in every possible way, where he even had his own cell in which he lived during fasts. Such piety allowed the Russian Orthodox Church to rank him as a saint along with such righteous warriors as Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.
Ushakov's Medal: who gets it
The decree establishing this award was issued on March 3, 1944. It was intended to reward sailors and soldiers, sergeants and foremen, as well as midshipmen and ensigns of the Navy and naval units of the border troops for personal courage and bravery that were shown in defending the Fatherland at sea both during military operations and in peacetime.
Description
Ushakov's medal (USSR) is made of silver in the form of a circle with a diameter of 3.6 cm superimposed on an anchor. On its obverse, surrounded by a convex border, there is a bust relief image of Admiral F. F. Ushakov. A convex inscription “Admiral Ushakov” is applied around the circumference above it, and under the portrait there are 2 laurel branches connected by a crossed ribbon. As for the reverse, the medal number is simply stamped on it. The award, with the help of a ring and a small eyelet, is connected to a 5-corner block, which is covered with a blue silk ribbon. It is 2.4 cm wide and has white and blue stripes along the edges.
Ushakov's medal is fundamentally different from other Russian awards. The fact is that her block is decorated with an anchor chain, fastened over the tape and connecting the upper block corners with the eye. No other Soviet medal has this design.
Russian award
The medal was re-established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation in March 1994. Outwardly, it is an exact copy of the Ushakov medal from the times of the Second World War, and today it is awarded to the military personnel of the Navy and the maritime guards of the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation. It is supposed to be worn on the left side of the chest, and if the recipient has other medals of the Russian Federation, it is located after the Suvorov medal.
Nakhimov Medal
This award was established simultaneously with the Ushakov medal and was also intended for non-officer personnel of the VMG and naval units of the border troops who showed courage and bravery in the performance of military duty.
Made of bronze in the form of a circle with a diameter of 3.6 mm. On the obverse of the Nakhimov medal there is a convex image of the admiral in profile, below which are crossed laurel branches connected by a five-pointed star. Along the convex border, duplicated by relief dots in the upper part of the medal, the inscription “ADMIRAL NAKHIMOV” is applied. The reverse of this award has a design that is not typical for medals of the WWII period. In particular, it depicts a circle, and inside it is a sailboat floating on the waves, behindwhich crossed two sea anchors. At some distance from the side, a relief in the form of a ship's chain is applied in a circle.
The first awarding of the Nakhimov medal took place in the Northern Fleet on April 10, 1944. It was received by Sergeant M. A. Kolosov, as well as sailors E. V. Tolstov and F. G. Moshkov. In total, by 1981, 13,000 people were awarded the Nakhimov medal in the USSR.
US and UK Veterans Medal
In 2012, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the start of the Arctic convoys, the Russian government decided to celebrate the merits of their participants. The Ushakov medal was chosen as a reward. The list of awardees was sent to the United States and Great Britain, where it was planned to organize solemn ceremonies with the participation of Russian diplomats. In the same year, on April 27, in the United States, 56 veteran sailors were awarded the Ushakov medals. The situation was more difficult with the participants of the Arctic convoys from Great Britain. The fact is that, according to the laws of this country, subjects of Her Majesty are forbidden to accept foreign awards, so the request of the Russian side was rejected. At the same time, the British established their own award for their veterans, calling it the "Arctic Star". However, after its presentation, the British government changed its mind, and the Russian medals were nevertheless delivered to London, as well as to Edinburgh. Solemn ceremonies of rewarding the brave sailors who delivered important military and food cargoes to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk 70 years ago were held there.
Ushakov's medal: price
Phaleristics is a popular hobby around the world, so Russian awards often end up in different parts of the world. Among them, not the last place is occupied by the medal of Admiral Ushakov, which is distinguished by an unusual design developed by the architect M. A. Shepilevsky. The price of this award ranges from 120,000 to 130,000 rubles. The Nakhimov medal costs about the same. As for their copies, their price is about 1000 rubles.
Now you know what Ushakov's medals look like and who the person in whose honor they were established was.
