French submarine Rubis (S601)

''Le Rubis'' (S 601), initially named ''Provence'', was a first-generation nuclear attack submarine and lead boat of the of the French Navy, assigned to the attack nuclear submarine squadron.

Construction

The submarine was originally namesaked ''Provence'' and was renamed ''Rubis'' on 18 December 1980. Being the lead ship of the class, fine-tuning was long, notably needing over 1,000 hours of underwater testing before commissioning. ''Rubis'' was fielded on 11 December 1976 and launched on 7 July 1979.

Active service

The ''Rubis'' commenced active service on 23 February 1983. In 1985 she evacuated three Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) agents who sailed to New Zealand on the yacht ''Ouvéa'' to participate in the bombing of , then scuttled their yacht.

Later in 1991, the ''Rubis'' formed part of the French naval contribution to the Gulf War. Between September 1992 and July 1993, ''Rubis'' undertook a major refitting which upgraded her to the level of the . Soon after, on 17 July 1993, ''Rubis'' collided with the tanker ''Lyria'', as the ''Rubis'' was surfacing, causing minor damage and injuries. On 18 July 1996, the fourragère of the ''Ordre de la Libération'' was awarded to the submarine and the crew, as a legacy of the ''Rubis'' of the Second World War, which had been awarded the medal.

The ''Rubis'' also took part in Operation Trident, the 1999 bombing campaign over Yugoslavia, by protecting the aeronaval group. Along with the ''Améthyste'', the boat was one of the two submarines who interdicted the Kotor straits to the Serbian Navy, thus effectively forbidding its use. The boat 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 30 March 2007, while submerged, ''Rubis'' hit the bottom, damaging her bow and sonar. The boat returned to operations in July 2008.

''Rubis'' was expected to be decommissioned in the beginning of 2017 but underwent modernization and has returned to service as of 2019. She was then scheduled to be withdrawn from service toward the end of 2022. In the summer of 2022 the boat undertook its final operational mission. She was decommissioned in Cherbourg on 2 December 2022.

Awards and honours

Since 5 June 2012, the fanion of ''Rubis'' was decorated with the Cross for Military Valour with one palm.

See also

* List of submarines of France

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubis (S601)
Rubis-class submarines
Ships built in France
1979 ships
Submarines of France