The Ushakov Medal was a USSR military medal

Medal

A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...

, created on March 3, 1944 by the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Its name commemorates the admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 Fyodor Ushakov, who never lost a battle and was proclaimed patron saint of the Russian Navy. It was awarded to fleet officers and soldiers, both during war and peacetime

Peacetime

In politics, peacetime is defined as any period of time where there are no violent conflicts occurring. For example, the time after World War II is considered peacetime in Western Europe and the United States....

, for courage

Courage

Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation...

 and bravery during military operations, state border

Border

Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

s patrol

Patrol

A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...

, and military duties with life risk. Note that the "peacetime" part results from a modification of the status in 1980 (before that, the medal used to be awarded only during wars, although it was given to Captain Second Rank Nikolai Shumkov in October 1961 for commanding the submarine B-130 that test launched the first Soviet nuclear torpedo).

An estimated 14,000 to 16,000 medals have been awarded from 1944 to 1991.