Rubis (1931)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Rubis in difficulty in a minefield off Norway |
|
| Career (France) |   |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Arsenal de Toulon |
| Laid down: | 3 April 1929 |
| Launched: | 30 September 1931 |
| Commissioned: | 4 April 1933 |
| Honours and awards: |
Ordre de la Libération |
| General characteristics | |
The Rubis was a Saphir class minelaying submarine which served in the French Navy and Free French Navy during the Second World War.
During the Norwegian campaign, in May 1940, she laid mines off the Norwegian coast; her mines claimed four Norwegian vessels in May and June, and a further three merchantmen in July. At the time of the French surrender on June 22nd, 1940, she was in port in the United Kingdom, where she promptly joined the Free French Forces.
Whilst minelaying off Norway in mid-1941, she encountered and torpedoed a Finnish merchantman. Later in the war, she laid mines in the Bay of Biscay, claiming three German auxiliary minesweepers, an armed trawler, and a French tug in 1942, and a fourth auxiliary minesweeper in 1943. Operating off Stavanger in September 1944, her mines claimed two auxiliary submarine chasers and two merchantmen. In October and November she continued in Norwegian waters, damaging two vessels but with no sinkings. On 21st December, however, her mines claimed three auxiliary submarine chasers, a German merchantman, and a minesweeper.
Throughout the war she made 22 operational patrols, laying nearly 700 mines and sinking some 21,000 GRT of shipping.
[edit] References
- FS Rubis, uboat.net
Another account of wartime life on Rubis (especially the years 1941-2)can be found in Ruari McLean, Half Seas Under, Thomas Reed, UK, 2001 - available second hand from Amazon. R McLean was the British Liaison Officer on board for the years 1941-2.
