Igor Spassky

Spassky was also awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2006)

Spassky was the creator of the K-141 Kursk project, the last of the Oscar II class submarines built for the Russian navy. On August 12, 2000, a dummy torpedo aboard the submarine accidentally exploded and the submarine sank. Most of the crew died during the explosion, but 28 crew men remained alive for at least six hours afterward. Unfortunately, the rescuers were hampered by the slow and secretive military and government response. It was a week before they could get to the submarine site and then bad weather further slowed the recovery. By that time, the surviving crew had perished.

Since the time of the perestroika and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, state orders for new nuclear submarines have dramatically decreased. Nevertheless, Spassky continued to work on nuclear submarines, including the new fourth-generation ballistic missile Yuriy Dolgorukiy class (construction started in 1996), but he expanded his Bureau into new areas in order to provide a livelihood for his employees.

Spassky has also published scientific works on the theory of submarine design and construction. He has been a full member of the Soviet Academy of Science since 1987 (a corresponding member since 1983). He is the Chairman of the Commission on Hydrodynamics of the Russian Academy of Science. He has been awarded the Lenin Prize (1965), became a Hero of Socialist Labor (1978), USSR State Prize (1983), received two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution and two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour.

As General Designer, he was the main designer of all of Rubin's projects since 1974, which according to Rubin's website include:

In 1950 he started work as a submarine designer, first in Construction Design Bureau-143 (currently Malakhit Design Bureau). Since 1953 he has worked in Construction Design Bureau-18 (currently Rubin Design Bureau). In 1956 he became the vice Chief Engineer of Rubin; in 1968 he became the Chief Engineer; and since 1974 he has been the head of that bureau with the position title of Chief Designer (Russian: Главный Конструктор, after 1983 General Designer Russian: Генеральный Конструктор).

These projects provided a reasonably smooth transition for thousands of Rubin employees to the market economy as well as some help to the Saint Petersburg city and philanthropy. Spasskiy and his enterprises financed reconstruction of Nikolo-Bogoyavlensky Cathedral in Saint-Petersburg, Church of John the Baptist (Ioann Pretechi) in Old Ladoga, the monument to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy, the celebration of the centenary of the Russian Museum, and many other projects. For his philanthropy, the Russian Orthodox Church awarded Spassky the Order of Saint Prince Daniil of Moscow. Anatoly Sobchak referred to Spassky's success in the transformation to a market economy when he called him a "Hero of Capitalist Labor".

Igor Dmitriyevich Spasskiy (Russian: Игорь Дмитриевич Спасский, born August 2, 1926) is a Russian (and former Soviet) scientist, engineer and entrepreneur, General Designer of nearly 200 Soviet and Russian nuclear submarines, and the head of the Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering Rubin.

Spasskiy was born in the town of Noginsk in the Moscow Region on August 2, 1926. In 1949 he graduated from the Engineering Department (паросиловой факультет) of Dzerzhinsky Higher Naval Engineering School, after which he briefly served as lieutenant-engineer on the cruiser Frunze.