Emil Spiridonov

Emil Nikolayevich Spiridonov
Born	26 September 1925 Makaryev, Soviet Union
Died	7 February 1981(1981-02-07) (aged 55) Pushkin, Leningrad Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Buried	Serafimovskoe Cemetery
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Soviet Navy
Years of service	1942–1981
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Pacific Fleet
Awards	Order of the Red Banner Order of the Red Star - twice Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Third Class
Spouse(s)	Valentina

Emil Nikolayevich Spiridonov (Russian: Эмиль Николаевич Спиридонов) (26 September 1925 – 7 February 1981) was an officer of the Soviet Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral and was commander of the Pacific Fleet, before his death in the 1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, which also killed many of the Fleet's senior officers.

Born in 1925, Spiridonov's early studies were interrupted by the Second World War, and he joined the navy. His early service was spent in submarines in the Pacific Fleet, where he distinguished himself and advanced through the ranks. Transferred to the Northern Fleet, he took command of his own boat, a Project 629-type ballistic missile submarine, before being advanced to command divisions and squadrons of submarines. Praised for his approach to training, he took courses at the Naval Academy, and was promoted to flag rank. Returning to the Pacific Fleet, he moved up the chain of command, garnering awards and plaudits, and eventually becoming deputy commander of the fleet. After assisting in a difficult rescue operation of a stricken submarine, he was finally appointed commander of the Pacific Fleet.

While returning to the fleet base at Vladivostok, the transport plane he and many other of the fleet's senior officers were travelling in crashed just after takeoff outside Pushkin. There were no survivors. He was buried at the Serafimovskoe Cemetery in then-Leningrad, where a memorial was erected to those killed in the crash. He was honoured after his death with memorial plaques, and a street in Vladivostok and an Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Spiridonov were named for him.