Phil2012

Thank you for your comments about my frame, TacHel and Paul R ! Well, I have no information about official medals for people who take parts in these operations. I'm going to send the question to the staff of Saint Petersbourg Submariners Club, I guess I can get useful information from there!

Hi, Mervyn, yes, the Navy dagger still is the same. Except, as I said, the double-headed eagle on the handle instead of USSR coat of arms. But it's almost impossible to get such a dagger, at this time. On a famous auction website, I saw only once and the price was too high for me, unfortunately: a Navy dagger of Soviet era most commonly costs around 300 USD. I was lucky to win the auction for mine below 180 ! But the starting price of the only dagger of Russian Federation I saw was above 400 !.. Too much expensive for me ...

Thank you! The man on the left picture is my grand father. He was a Resistant during WW2, and the document in this small frame is his card of member of the Interior French Forces (in french: Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur, or FFI), the national resistance network. At the same time, he was a male nurse in the Passive Defense.

Here are pictures to show how the dagger is worn: At the end of their studies, the young officers receive their diploma and dagger. It's a tradition of plunging daggers into a huge glass of champagne and drink: My dagger on a frame, with a copy of Saint George Order: ;)

Hello! As a collector, I'm mainly interested in soviet and russian submarines (have a look at "Europe non Socialist States / Russia / Russian Federation: "Typhoons submarines badges and medals"). But I sometimes happen to buy other items from Navy, when I consider they're very good looking and very representative. Among these items, here is my officer's dagger: It's 13 3/8 (34,5cm) long with the scabbard. The dagger itself is 12 1/2 (32cm) long. The blade is 8 3/8 (21cm) long. The handle is made of wood and gilted brass. The blade is made of stainless steel. The scabbard is made of wood, covered with black leather with gilted brass elements. On the sides of the scabbard, an anchor and a ship: On the blade, the logo and the name of manufacturer "Bulat" and the year of manufacture: On the other side, the number of the dagger: At the top of the handle, the coat of arms of the USSR: Many accessories (buttons, cap badges, breast badges, etc...) featuring soviet symbols still were used for the two or three years following the official collapse of the communist regime in 1991. Certainly because there were stocks! Now, on the Navy dagger, there is a double-headed eagle.

After vacation, as we were back home, my fiancee got an idea to make a commemorative frame with the badges and icons: Left: an icon of Saint Nicholas (patron of the sailors. It's a travel icon, made of brass and hot enamel. Right: an icon of Saint Serafim Sarovski (patron of the cemetery). It's handpainted on porcelain, with pewter frame. And here is the commemorative frame: The background is made of red velvet. There are other commemorative badges, but I chose these ones for their beautiful design and very good quality. If you have more information about them (when they were issued, quantity, etc...) don't hesitate to post! ;)

Hello! On august 12, 2000, the Russian nuclear submarine K-141 "Kursk" sank in the Barents Sea, resulting in its 118 crew in death. Everyone remembers mostly the calamitous attempts to rescue eventual survivors and the TV reports that showed the anguish of families. It is widely accepted that several crew members survived in the rear part of the submarine during a day or two after the wreck. This makes the failures of rescue attempts even more dramatic... Here is the "Kursk": She was a vessel of "Projekt 949A Antei" class (NATO "Oscar II"). This large submarine (508 ft long, 60 ft wide) is designed to destroy aircraft carriers and their groups with missiles and torpedoes. Here is my badge of the "Kursk": You can see the coat of arms of Kursk town, the name "Kursk", the Tsar's crown, russian flags, the profile of the ship, an anchor and, as a background, the Navy flag. The numbers XII and '94 on coat of arms remind december 30th, 1994: the day the "Kursk" was commissioned. This official badge is made of gilted brass and hot enamel. After the sinking, various commemorative badges (or "mourning badges", as they are called in Russia) have been issued over the years. Here are mine: This probably is the first one. It's the first commemorative badge I saw on web, around 10 years ago. Quite at the same time I also saw this one. The diver's helmet makes me think that this badge is to commemorate the rescue attempts. On this badge, you see the Norway flag: the first divers who reached the "Kursk" were norwegian divers working on oil rigs, after the russian authorities have accepted foreign aid after the failures of russian rescuers. Another badge featuring the Norway flag. Medal for the participants in the operations for raising up the wreck and recovering of corpses (october, 2001). I saw this badge for the first time in 2010, in Moscow. That's why I think it's the most recent commemorative badge. In 2010, my russian fiancee and I stayed in Saint Petersbourg for a week. As we were preparing this trip, I contacted the Saint Petersburg Submariners Club to plan some visits. We first were invited to visit the Club and we met the chairman, Captain 1st rank Igor Kurdin. I also was invited to become a member of the Club. Then, some days later we met captain Kurdin again in Serafimovski cemetery were 32 members of crew of "Kursk" are buried. Here are the memorial and graves:

Thank you TacHel! Collecting badges on such a specific subject is not easy at all, it can be very frustrating: I remember that I didn't find even one badge in the whole year 2007. On the other hand, this year I got 5 new ones in january!.. It's a matter of patience and perseverance!..

In books and on the web I saw around 25 or 30 other badges or medals dedicated to Typhoons. Of course I'm looking for them because I continue to collect! There also are some variants in the colors of enamels. I don't look for them because this doesn't have any official meaning: some badges can be re-issued, some badges can be issued by differents manufacturers, and some orders to a manufacturer may mention that a badge will be produced with color variants (I saw this when I was in the Navy about badges for my unit). For all these reasons, I consider badges which differences only consist in differences of colors as duplicates. But if I find a badge with colors that please me more than the badge I already have, I buy it and I change! Presently, only TK-208 "Dmitri Donskoi" still is in service. She was modernized some years ago to test the new missile "Bulava". TK-20 "Severstahl" and TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" are in reserve in Severodvinsk Navy base. Two ships of the new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine "Borei" recently were commissioned, and they initially were supposed to replace the last Typhoons before 2017. But recently the Ministry of Defence decided to extend their career, considering their high potential and their indisputable qualities. So, the last three Typhoons still have a future in the Northern Fleet, and soon they will haunt the seas again!..

40th anniversary of 18th Submarine Division (2001). 25th anniversary of 18th Submarine Division (1986). Crew of TK-202. 30th anniversary of 1st Submarine Flotilla. Voyage of TK-20 "Severstahl" under the polar icecap (1995). From a recent set dedicated to all the soviet and russian submarines that have carried out this specific voyage.

TK-208 "Dmitri Donskoi" (first Typhoon) commissioned (1981). No information. "Padvodnyi Flot": "Submarine Fleet". "Utchastniku V.Sh.P.P." : "For the participants in voyage under the polar icecap". This badge was issued for the crew of TK-12 "Simbirsk" on the occasion of this special mission in 1987. TK-20 "Severstahl".

"Padvodnyi Flot Rossyi": "Submarine Fleet of Russia". TK-20 "Severstahl" commissioned (1989). Launching of TK-13 (1985). Launching of TK-202 (1982). "Padvodnik": "Submariner" / "K.S.F." for "Red Banner Flotilla of the northern Fleet".

"Za Dalnyi Pakhod": "For long Range Campaign". Non official badge. 100th anniversary of Submarine Fleet (2006). Crew of TK-13. "Zapadnaia Litsa", name of the homeport of the Typhoons (Murmansk area). No information.

Crew of TK-13 (4th ship of the class). "Za Dalnyi Pakhod": "For Long Range Campaign". Official badge for the uniform. Worn under the submariners qualification insignia. 10th anniversary (1993) of TK-12 "Simbirsk (1983-1996). No information. The second submarine is an "Antei" (NATO "Oscar II"). TK-202 (1982-1999), from a set for the three last Typhoons.

"Padvodnie Silyi Rossyi / 100 Let": "Submarine Forces of Russia / 100th anniversary" (2006). Ministry of Defence issue. "Za Vernosti y Muzhestvo": "For Bravery and Zeal" / "Veteranu Kholodnoi Voini na Morie": "For the veterans of Cold War on the seas". 20th anniversary of TK-13 (2005), with captions "Severnyi Flot" ("Northern Fleet") and "Zapadnaia Litsa" (name of homeport of the Typhoons). 45th anniversary of 18th Submarine Division.

30th anniversary of the 1st Submarine Flottilla. With flag of Admiral Division Head. 10th anniversary of TK-208 "Dmitri Donskoi", 1991. "Severnyi Flot": "Northern Fleet". 1st crew of TK-17 "Arkhangelsk". 40th anniversary of 18th Submarine Division, 2001.

No information. No information. TK-17 "Arkhangelsk", 5th ship of the class. Launching of TK-17 "Arkhangelsk", 1986. 25th anniversary of 1st Submarine Flotilla, 1986. Please note the specific flag of Admiral Division Head.

"Za Dalnyi Pakhod": "For Long Range Campaign" official badge with additional "ribbon" for the 300th anniversary of russian Navy (1696-1996). This badge is made of silver 925 (hallmarks on back) by "Russkie Samotsvieti" of Saint Petersburg. This badge also exists in solid brass (a bit larger than the silver one). According to some russian sources, 1.000 brass badges were issued, and only 200 or 300 silver badges. Such a commemorative badge (silver and brass) also exists for surface ships. "TRPKSN TK-20 "Severstahl", from a set for the four last "Typhoons". "Za Sluzhbu v' Arktikie": "For the Service in the Arctic". Soviet era, with "Red Banner Order" ribbon. "Za Sluzhbu v' Arktikie": "For the Service in the Arctic". Russian Federation.

Let's start with these five badges: No information 1st Submarine Flotilla (in 18th Division). "100 Liet Padvodnomu Flotu Rossyi": "100th anniversary of Submarine Fleet" (2006). Very beautiful badge, 5 part construction! 5th anniversary (1989) of TK-12 "Simbirsk" (1983-1996). 30th anniversary (1991) of the 18th Submarine Division.

Hello, there! I'm Phil, 47, from France, and I'm new here! For my first contribution, I would like to present you my collection of "Projekt 941 Akula" submarines. Also known as "Typhoon" (NATO name), they are the largest submarines ever: 574 ft long (173m), 75 ft wide (23m), and 48.000 tons displacement when submerged. Here are some pictures: From 1981 to 1989, the USSR launched 6 "Typhoons". They all were assigned to the 18th Submarine Division of Northern Fleet and their homeport is Zapadnaia Litsa (Murmansk area). Presently, three ships still are in service: TK-20 "Severstahl", TK-208 "Dmitri Donskoi", and TK-17 "Arkhangelsk". Their armament mainly includes 20 intercontinental missiles (RSM-52), 2 x 650mm torpedo tubes, 4 x 533MM torpedo tubes, anti-aicraft system, and the Typhoons also can lay 40 mines. The crew is 160. Twenty years ago (as I was in the french Navy) I started to collect soviet and russian submarines badges. It was not easy because at this time internet didn't exist and documents were very very scarce!.. But thanks to correspondants in Russia my collection grew up quickly! Unfortunately, this was very frustrating because of the lack of documents: I didn't know what the badges correspond to... So, I finally decided to focus my collection on "Typhoons" only. Here is my collection, as it is today: I'm going to present these badges and medals one by one in my next posts, by telling on which occasion they were issued, and by telling about some details of their design when they have a specific meaning. Further information will be welcome, so don't hesitate to post! ;)