History

The Order of Nakhimov was established on March 3, 1944 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This Order was created for naval officers and designed by M.A Shipelevski, E.A Berkov, and M.B Khomich. It was named after the Russian Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, who defended Sevastopol from 1854 to 1855.

The I Class was conferred upon naval officers, who developed and conducted a successful defensive operation along with other naval forces; for decisive leadership and the well-organized operation of naval units that participated in combat at sea, especially in the destruction of an enemy force; for executing a well-thought-out naval landing operation; for activities that supply a fleet's operation at sea; or for leadership while supplying operations allowing for major accomplishments. The I Class was awarded 82 times, of which 77 were awarded to individuals and 5 went to units.

The I Class consists of ten pieces composed of gold, silver, blue enamel and synthetic rubies. The reverse presents a Monetny Dvor mint mark at 12 o'clock and a hand-engraved serial number at 6 o'clock. The lowest serial number observed is 35 and the highest number is 74.

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