Soviet Naval Patches from 1978-1988

Service Patches
of the Soviet Navy
(1978-1988)

This section covers some of the patches that were worn by members of the Soviet Navy from 1978 until the reforms of 1988. The selection of patches, stripes, and chevrons we have to view are listed below in order of their establishment.

Military Specialty Patches
Length of Service Chevrons
Wound Stripes
Conscript Length of Service Stripes

Soviet Military Specialty Patches In 1969 the a new series of service patches were issued for enlisted men (and later warrant officers) of the Soviet Navy. The symbols on the patches were quite similar to those used in earlier Soviet uniforms, but the new patches would be made of thermally molded plastic rather than being embroidered. The patches below denoted the military specialty of the sailor who wore them. They came in two colors. The red patches were worn by conscript sailors, while the yellow bordered patches were worn by extended servicemen and officer cadets.
Military Specialty	Conscript Patch	Extended Service Patch
Naval Artillery
Torpedoes
Boatswain	(Coming Soon!!)
Signals	(Coming Soon!!)
Engineering
Navigation
Naval Infantry

Wound Stripes These small 40mm long stripes were awarded to those who had suffered wounds in action. They came in two variants: Red for light wounds and Yellow for serious wounds. Naval versions of these stripes are all on dark blue backgrounds. They were worn on the right side of the uniform above the pocket and decorations.
	Light Wound Stripe	Heavy Wound Stripe
Third Wound
Second Wound
First Wound

Length of Service Chevrons

In 1971 the Soviet Defense Ministry created the rank of Michman (Warrant Officer) for the Soviet Navy in an effort to develop a class of skilled extended servicemen. It was decreed that these michman would wear length of service chevrons to show how long they had served. These were worn on the left sleeve 16mm above the lower cuff edge on both the tunic and the greatcoat.

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Three Years
-
Ten Years

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Two Years
-
Five Years

One Year of Service

Four Years of Service

Conscript Length of Service Stripes These yellow service stripes were introduced in 1974 to show the number of years a conscript soldier had served. Each stripe denoted one year of service and were worn 20 centimeters from the high shoulder point of the right sleeve of the greatcoat. They measured 80mm by 10mm and were made of thermally molded plastic and cloth. These stripes were abolished in 1982 in a move against 'unofficial regulations'.
Third Year of Conscript Service	(Coming Soon!!)
Second Year of Conscript Service
First Year of Conscript Service	(Coming Soon!!)

Back to Badges and Patches of the
Soviet Superpower

Length of Service Chevrons In 1971 the Soviet Defense Ministry created the rank of Michman (Warrant Officer) for the Soviet Navy in an effort to develop a class of skilled extended servicemen. It was decreed that these michman would wear length of service chevrons to show how long they had served. These were worn on the left sleeve 16mm above the lower cuff edge on both the tunic and the greatcoat.
- Three Years	- Ten Years
- Two Years	- Five Years
One Year of Service
One Year of Service	Four Years of Service