and the submarine surfaced. Four days later, Leninsky Komsomol returned to base. 39 crew members died in the fire. The subsequent investigation determined that the most probable cause of the fire was ignition of an explosive concentration of hydraulic oil, and that the reactions of the crew were prompt and correct. Numerous rewards were recommended for the crew, including seven nominations for Hero of Soviet Union—four of them posthumous. A later commission from Moscow, however, found a cigarette lighter in the torpedo compartment and found the position of a sailor's body suspicious. They ruled that the sailor's smoking had caused the fire and prohibited any award. In 1991 a memorial was erected in Zapadnaya Litsa to the men lost aboard К-3. In 2007 the Russian Awards Committee (Российский наградной комитет) issued the medal "For 50 Years Of The Submarine "Leninskiy Komsomol"". Retirement The submarine was decommissioned in 1988. Since its retirement the K-3 has been docked at the Nerpa Shipyard, Murmansk The K-3 is set to become part of The Museum of Naval Glory in Kronstadt and is expected to be open for visitors by early 2023. References External links "The Triumph and Tragedy of the Leninskiy Komsomol" by Nikolai Cherkashin and Mikhail Lukanin – Official Russian Navy Web Site November-class submarines Ships built in the Soviet Union 1957 ships Maritime incidents in 1967 Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union Museum ships in Russia