Awards of the Soviet Union
 

So with this being a placid Saturday afternoon, after rewatching The Hunt for the Red October, I ended up browsing related Wikipedia pages. It occurred to me I could read about Soviet awards and determine which could apply in a future Cold Waters expansion. So here's a list, in theory by order of importance:

• Hero of the Soviet Union (could be awarded multiple times until 1988)
  The highest honorary title that could be given to both Soviet civilians and soldiers for a heroic act.
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• Order of Lenin (could be awarded multiple times)
  Given to both civilians and soldiers for outstanding service to the motherland in defence, strengthening peace and strengthening labour.
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• Order of the Red Banner (could be awarded multiple times)
  It recognised military deeds. Before the establishment of the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner functioned as the highest (and practically the only) military order of the USSR. Practically all well-known Soviet commanders became Cavaliers of the Order of the Red Banner.
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• Order of the Red Star (could be awarded multiple times)
  Given to Red Army and Navy personnel for exceptional service in the cause of the defence of the Soviet Union in both war and peace.
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• Order of Ushakov (1st and 2nd class)
  Awarded to naval officers for outstanding achievements in planning and conducting naval operations and for victories in combat resulting from such operations.
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• Order of Nakhimov (1st and 2nd class)
  Awarded to naval officers for outstanding planning and execution of operations.
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• Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1st, 2nd and 3rd class)
  Awarded for exemplary service in the armed forces, both during a war and during peacetime. A recipient was first awarded a 3rd class order, then if further deeds were made, the second and the first class.

Now, this is just a general overview and decision-making would require more research. I'm not familiar with some of the details, but I see a number of issues:

It's unclear under which conditions an individual could be awarded the same award further times. It seemed arbitrary. For instance, Soviet cosmonauts received the Hero of the Soviet Union award for each flight, but no more than twice. In Cold Waters, the Order of Lenin could be earned only once after reaching a lofty goal (i.e. like the Medal of Honor), while the Hero could be earned several times but each requiring grand accomplishments (i.e. 200k tonnage sunk on a single patrol).

The problem with all these awards that can be awarded multiple times is the order of priority, and determining just how many would be realistically likely for a person of Captain rank to receive within the handful of months CW's campaigns last. Someone with more in-depth knowledge of the Soviet awards system would be able to figure this out.

The Hero of the Soviet Union award had become somewhat devalued by the 1970s given powerful people earned it periodically (anniversaries, etc.) and not really following specifically heroic deeds. Perhaps Cold Waters could treat the Order of Lenin as a higher decoration.

For a submarine commander, the difference between the Orders of Nakhimov and Ushakov seems minor. It appears the main difference would only apply if the player didn't have a command rank, since both awards apply to naval officers but Ushakov only to command-grade ones. Perhaps it would only be a matter of order of importance.

The Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" sure is a mouthful. Perhaps it could be abbreviated to Order for Service to the Homeland without much of a realism loss, considering the remainder of the title is a bit redundant in the context of the game.

Thoughts appreciated!