Rubis (S 601)

The "Rubis" (S 601 ; ex "Provence") is a first-generation nuclear attack submarine of the French Navy, named after the French submarine "Rubis" which distinguished herself during the Second World War.

Originally named "Provence", she was remamed to "Rubis" on 18 December 1980. Being the lead ship of the "Rubis" class, her fine-tuning was long, notably needing over 1000 hours of underwater testing before commissioning.

The "Rubis" is alleged to have entered the Pacific Ocean in 1985 to support the operation which lead to the Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior. It is claimed that the submarine recovered the crew of the yacht "Ouvéa" before they could be re-arrested by New Zealand police for their role in the bombing of the "Rainbow Warrior". [http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/rw/pkbomb.html]

The "Rubis" formed part of the French naval contribution to the Gulf War. Between September 1992 and July 1993, she undertook a major refitting which upgraded her to the level of the "Améthyste". Soon after, on 17 July 1993, the "Rubis" collided with the tanker "Lyria", as the "Rubis" was surfacing, causing minor damages and injuries.

The "Rubis" also took part in "Operation Trident", the 1999 bombing campaign over Yugoslavia, by protecting the aeronaval group. Along with the "Améthyste", she was one of the two submarines who interdicted the Kotor straits to the Serbian Navy, thusly effectively forbidding its use. She also gathered information for the coalition.

In 2002, the "Rubis" protected "Task Force 473" in the Indian Ocean, during "operation Hercules", the naval part of the invasion of Afghanistan.

On 18 July 1996, the fourragere of the "Ordre de la Libération" was given to the submarine and her crew, as a legacy of the "Rubis" of the Second World War, which had been awarded the medal.

On 30 March 2007, while submerged, "Rubis" ran hit the bottom, damaging her bow and sonar. The submarine has been in repairs since [ [http://www.netmarine.net/bat/smarins/rubis/index.htm Sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque "Rubis"] , netmarine.net] .

References and notes