Emil Nikolayevich Spiridonov (Russian: Эмиль Николаевич Спиридонов) (26 September 1925 – 7 February 1981) was an officer of the Soviet Navy.

Advanced to captain lieutenant on 14 September 1953 with the completion of the S-165, Spiridonov was assigned to the Northern Fleet from 25 June 1954, joining the 297th squadron of the 33rd submarine division.

[2] While B-41 was nearing completion, Spiridonov sailed on a long distance voyage aboard the Project AB611-type submarine B-78, serving as second in command under Captain 2nd rank V. V. Gorontsov.

In January 1960 K-79 was assigned to the Northern Fleet and between June and July Spiridonov took her down to the Canary Islands and then returned to Olenya Bay, carrying out drills and missile exercises.

He was commended for his services by the commander of the Northern Fleet, Admiral Andrei Chabanenko, and received a personal weapon from the navy's commander-in-chief.

A State Commission, headed by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, did not return any final conclusions, but still led to a shakeup of personnel.

"[2] Spiridonov was promoted to captain 1st rank on 21 February 1964, and commended by the Northern Fleet's commander, Admiral Semyon Lobov, as "An intelligent and promising officer.

"[2] Spiridonov took at series of courses at the Naval Academy from 29 September 1966 to 3 August 1967, being appointed commander of the 35th division of submarines on 31 January 1967.

Promoted to vice-admiral on 2 November 1972, Spiridonov achieved good results with training his crews, and the division was recognised as the best unit of the Pacific Fleet.

[1][2] In 1977, during his tenure as deputy commander, he took personal charge of the rescue efforts of the Project 667B -type submarine K-477, which suffered a fire while loading nuclear ballistic missiles at the dockside in Kamchatka.

After a full day of fighting the fire, on 8 September an explosion caused the warhead of a damaged nuclear missile to be ejected from the submarine and sink in the sea.

[2] On 21 February 1978, he was awarded the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Third Class, and on 31 August 1979 he was appointed Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

[2] In early 1981 Spiridonov and much of the Pacific Fleet's leadership attended meetings in Leningrad, before planning to return to Vladivostok on 7 February.

At 18:00 local time the plane, a Tupolev Tu-104, took off from Pushkin Airport, and almost immediately crashed just clear of the runway, killing all aboard.

They were both interred with most of the other victims of the crash in the Serafimovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad, where a memorial to the dead was erected on the orders of the Navy's Commander-in-Chief, Sergey Gorshkov.

[1][7] Memorial plaques were placed in the Staff Building of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok, and in the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg.