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Russia’s top brass decorates female engineer with medal for submarine’s trials

Leading Experimental Design Engineer of the Nerpa Ship Repair Plant Yana Smirnova Smirnova has been working in the ship-repair industry for over 30 years after graduating from the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute

MURMANSK, November 30. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry decorated an experimental design engineer of the Nerpa Shipyard (part of the Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center within the United Shipbuilding Corporation) with a medal for trials of the Vepr nuclear-powered submarine and big contribution to repairing military hardware, the Shipyard’s press office told TASS on Monday.

"The Defense Ministry’s ‘For Labor Valor’ medal has been bestowed on Leading Experimental Design Engineer of the Nerpa Ship Repair Plant Yana Smirnova. She is the sole woman who spent 52 days in the endurance under the water during the comprehensive sea trials of the nuclear-powered submarine Vepr. She received the Defense Ministry’s high award for her big contribution to restoring the technical readiness of the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines and ships," the press office said in a statement.

Engineer Smirnova has been working in the ship-repair industry for over 30 years after graduating from the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute. She has taken part in repairing, re-equipping and upgrading 25 nuclear-powered submarines, dealing with the complex issues of ensuring the technical readiness of the ships placed in docks for repairs after long-distance deployments and combat service, the statement says.

Yana Smirnova considers three ships as the key vessels in her professional career: the nuclear-powered submarine Kursk, the large sea transport ship Yauza and the nuclear-powered submarine Vepr. As the head of projects, she participated in the most dangerous operation of disposing of the accident-hit submarine Kursk, in particular, in disassembling the deformed missile silos, the press office said.

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