Allied Warships

FR Rubis

Submarine of the Saphir class

NavyThe French Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassSaphir 
Pennant 
ModMinelaying submarine 
Built byArsenal de Toulon (Toulon, France) 
Ordered 
Laid down3 Apr 1929 
Launched30 Sep 1931 
Commissioned4 Apr 1933 
End service4 Oct 1949 
History

Seized by the British on 3 July 1940 at Dundee, Scotland.
Transferred to the Free French.
Stricken 4 October 1949.

 

Commands listed for FR Rubis

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Cdr. Robert Michael Gore Gambier, RN3 Jul 194011 Jul 1940

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Notable events involving Rubis include:


26 May 1940
The Norwegian vessel Vansø (54 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 10 May 1940 near Egersund, Norway in position 58°21'N, 06°01'E.

28 May 1940
The Norwegian (sailing) vessel Blaamannen (174 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 27 May 1940 near Haugesund, Norway in position 59°28'N 05°12'E.

31 May 1940
The Norwegian merchant Jadarland (938 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 27 May 1940 near Haugesund, Norway in position 59°28'N 05°12'E.

10 Jun 1940
The Norwegian merchant Sverre Sigurdssøn (1081 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 9 June 1940 near Herdla, Norway in position 60°36'N, 04°55'E.

7 Jul 1940
The Norwegian merchant Almora (2433 GRT, offsite link) was damaged after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis on 10 May 1940 (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) near Egersund, Norway in position 58°21'N, 06°01'E.

24 Jul 1940
The Norwegian merchant Kem (1705 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 10 May 1940 near Egersund, Norway in position 58°21'N, 06°01'E.

28 Jul 1940
The Norwegian merchant Argo (413 GRT, offsite link) was sunk after hitting a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis (Lt. G.E.J. Cabanier) on 10 May 1940 near Egersund, Norway in position 58°21'N, 06°01'E.

1 Jun 1941
HMS Tuna (Lt.Cdr. M.K. Cavenagh-Mainwaring, DSO, RN) departed from Holy Loch for her 7th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.

Passage south throuh the Irish Sea was made together with the Free French submarine FFS Rubis (Lt. H.L.G. Rousselot). They were escorted until 1430/3 by HMS Breda (Capt.(Retd.) A. E. Johnston, RN).

No logs are available for this period so no map of this patrol can be displayed. (1)

21 Aug 1941
Rubis (Lt. H.L.G. Rousselot) lays mines off Egerøy, Norway and later the same day torpedoed and sank the Finish merchant Hogland (4360 GRT) in position 58°27'N, 05°46'E.

21 Jan 1942
HMS Tuna (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) ended her 12th war patrol at Falmouth. Tuna was escorted in by HMS Scarron (T/Lt. R.A.A. Robertson, RNVR).

Tuna departed Falmouth for Holy Loch later that same day. She made the passage together with the Free French submarine FFS Rubis. They were escorted by HMS White Bear (Cdr.(Retd.) C.C. Flemming, RN). (1)

26 Jan 1942
HNoMS Uredd (Lt. Røren) departed Holy Loch for Scapa Flow. Passage north was made together with ORP Jastrzab (Lt.Cdr. B. Romanowski) and FFS Rubis (Lt. H.L.G. Rousselot) which were en-route to Blyth and Dundee respectively. They were escorted by HMS White Bear (Cdr.(Retd.) C.C. Flemming, RN). (2)

31 Mar 1942
The German U-boat U-702 was sunk in the North Sea west of Denmark, in approx. position 56°34'N, 06°16'E, by a mine laid by the French submarine Rubis on 21 March 1942.

16 Apr 1942
HMS P 37 (Lt. H. Winter, RN) ended her 3rd war patrol at Lerwick. She departed for Dundee later the same day together with FFS Rubis. They were escorted by HMS Loch Monteith (T/Lt. K.W. Richardson, RNR). (3)

12 Jun 1942
The German auxiliary minesweeper M 4212 / Marie Frans (125 GRT) is sunk in the Bay of Biscay south of Vieux-Boucau, France in position 43°37'N, 01°34'W when she hits a mine laid on 5 June 1942 by the Free French submarine Rubis.

26 Jun 1942
The French tug Quand Meme (288 GRT) is sunk in the Bay of Biscay south of Vieux-Boucau, France in position 43°37'N, 01°35'W when she hits a mine laid on 5 June 1942 by the Free French submarine Rubis.

10 Jul 1942
The German auxiliary minesweeper M 4401 / Imbrim (339 GRT, built 1919) sank north-west of Arcachon, France in position 44°58'N, 01°23'W after hitting a mine laid by the Free French submarine Rubis.

18 Aug 1942
The German armed trawler V 406 / Hans Loh (464 GRT) sank south-west of the Gironde estuary, France in position 45?03'N, 01?34'W after hitting a mine laid by the Free French submarine Rubis. The mine was one of 32 laid on 14 August 1942.

21 Aug 1942
HMS P 614 (Lt. D.J. Beckley, RN) departed Holy Loch for Scapa Flow. She made (part of) the passage together with HMS L 23 (Lt. J.S. Bridger, RN) (proceeding to Loch Erisort, aka Port D.) and FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot) (proceeding to Dundee). They were escorted by HMS Cutty Sark (Cdr.(Retd.) R.H. Mack, RN). (4)

23 Aug 1942
HMS Upright (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Collett, DSC, RN) departed Scapa Flow for Dundee. She made the passage together with the Free French submarine FFS Rubis. They were escorted by HMS Loch Monteith (T/Lt. K.W. Richardson, RNR). (5)

20 Sep 1942
The German auxiliary minesweeper M 4448 / L 4148 (77 GRT) sank off Bayonne, France in position 43°37'N, 01°34'W after hitting a mine possibly laid by the Free French submarine Rubis on 5 June 1942.

2 Jun 1943
HMS Satyr (Lt. T.S. Weston, RN) departed Dundee for Lerwick. She was escorted by HMS Celia (T/Lt. L.B. Merrick, RNR). She made part of the passage North together with HNoMS Ula (Lt. R.M. Sars), submarine FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot) and FFS Minerve (Lt. H.F.D. Simon-Dubuisson). (6)

16 Jun 1943
HMS Sceptre (Lt. I.S. McIntosh, MBE, DSC, RN) arrived at Holy Loch.

She departed for Plymouth later the same day together with FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot). (7)

10 Jul 1943
The German auxiliary minesweeper M 4451/Gauleiter A Meyer (652 GRT) sank in the Bay of Biscay off Arcachon, France in position 44°58'N, 01°10'W after hitting a mine laid by the Free French submarine Rubis.

19 Feb 1944
HMS Trenchant (Lt.Cdr. A.R. Hezlet, DSC, RN) departed from Yarmouth for Plymouth. She made the passage together with the French submarine FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot). They were escorted by HMS Darthema (T/Lt. C. Brunning, RNVR). (8)

14 Apr 1944
Shalimar (Lt. W.G. Meeke, DSC, MBE, RN) departed Portsmouth for Plymouth. She made the passage together with the Free French submarine FFS Rubis.

Both submarines arrived at Plymouth later the same day. (9)

16 Apr 1944
Shalimar (Lt. W.G. Meeke, DSC, MBE, RN) departed Plymouth for St. Mary's, Scilly Islands together with the Free French submarine FFS Rubis.

Both submarines arrived there later the same day. They anchored off the town. (9)

17 Apr 1944
Shalimar (Lt. W.G. Meeke, DSC, MBE, RN) and FFS Rubis departed St. Mary's. They made rendez-vouz with HMS Sibyl (Lt. E.J.D. Turner, DSO, DSC, RN) and their escort HMS Sardonyx (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E. Playne, RNVR). Course was then set for Holy Loch. (9)

27 Apr 1944
HMS Oberon (Lt. M.L.C. Crawford, DSC, RN) departed Rothesay for Scapa Flow. She made the passage north together with FFS Rubis. They were escorted by HMS Portchester Castle (Lt. A.G. Scott, RNR).

13 Aug 1944
HMS Venturer (Lt. J.S. Launders, DSC and Bar, RN), ORP Dzik (Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) B.S. Romanowski) and FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot) all departed the Clyde for Dundee. They were escorted by HMS Cutty Sark (Lt. H.J. Bartlett, DSC, RN) until 15 August when HMS Loch Monteith (T/Lt. K.W. Richardson, RNR) took over. (10)

18 Sep 1944
HMS Satyr (Lt. T.S. Weston, DSO, DSC, RN) departed Dundee for Lerwick. She made the passage together with FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot). They were escorted by HMS Loch Monteith (T/Lt. K.W. Richardson, RNR). (6)

26 Sep 1944
The German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 1106/Grönland (464 GRT) sank some 16 nautical miles south-west of Stavanger, Norway in position 58°45'N, 05°24'E after hitting a mine laid by the Free French submarine Rubis on 24 September 1944.

27 Sep 1944
The German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 1715/Lesum (489 GRT), the German merchant Cläre Hugo Stinnes (5295 GRT) and the Norwegian merchant Knute Nelson (5749 GRT, offsite link) sink some 16 nautical miles south-west of Stavanger, Norway in position 58°45'N, 05°24'E after hitting mines laid by the Free French submarine Rubis on 24 September 1944.

27 Oct 1944
The German patrol vessel V 5304/Seehund was heavily damaged in position 60°55N, 04°40'E after hitting a mine laid by the Free French submarine Rubis on 18 October 1944.

The damaged ship was beached and later repaired.

24 Nov 1944
The Norwegian merchant Castor (1683 GRT, offsite link) is damaged when she hits a mine off Egersund, Norway in position 58°26'N, 05°49'E. The mine was laid the same day by the Free French submarine Rubis.

13 Dec 1944
HMS Venturer (Lt. J.S. Launders, DSC and Bar, RN) and FFS Rubis (Lt.Cdr. H.L.G. Rousselot) departed Dundee for Lerwick. She was escorted by HMS Loch Monteith (T/Lt. W.E. Turner, RNR). (11)

21 Dec 1944
The German merchant Weichselland (3654 GRT, former Latvian Gundega), the German auxiliary submarine chasers UJ 1113/KUJ 7 (970 GRT), UJ 1116/KUJ 11 970 GRT), UJ 1702/KUJ 16 (970 GRT) and the small German minesweeper R 402 (140 tons) sink off Feiestein-Rinne, Norway in position 58°51'N, 05°30'E after hitting mines laid by the Free French submarine Rubis on 19 December 1944.

Sources

  1. ADM 199/1844
  2. ADM 199/424
  3. ADM 199/1826
  4. ADM 199/1834
  5. ADM 173/17714
  6. ADM 199/1838
  7. ADM 173/18004
  8. ADM 173/19056
  9. ADM 173/18725
  10. ADM 173/19373
  11. ADM 173/19377

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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