The Rubis (H4, 202, P15) was a Saphir-class minelaying submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 which served in the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

 and Free French Navy during the Second World War. She was awarded the Ordre de la Libération

Ordre de la Libération

The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...

 for her services.

Career

After serving in Toulon with the 7th and later 5th submarine squadrons, in 1937 Rubis was transferred to Cherbourg.

During the Norwegian campaign

Norwegian Campaign

The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...

, 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 22, 1940, she was in port in the United Kingdom, where she promptly joined the Free French Forces

Free French Forces

The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...

.

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

Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...

, claiming three German auxiliary minesweepers

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

, an armed trawler, and a French tug in 1942, and a fourth auxiliary minesweeper in 1943. Operating off Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

 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 21 December, however, her mines claimed three auxiliary submarine chasers, a German merchantman, and a minesweeper.

Throughout the war, Rubis made 22 operational patrols, laying nearly 683 mines and sinking some 21,000 GRT

Gross Register Tonnage

Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...

 of shipping. With 22 enemy ships sunk (14 of them German, including 12 warships), she achieved the highest kill number in the FNFL.

From 1946 to 1948, she was used as a school ship for rigging in Toulon.

Rubis was struck on 4 October 1949, and sank on 31 January 1958 to be used as a sonar target. The wreck lies 41 metres underwater between Cavalaire and Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....

, and has become a popular diving attraction.

1940

• 26 May 1940: Norwegian transport Vansø (54 BRT) hits a mine laid on 10 May and sinks at 58°21′00"N 06°01′00"E
• 28 May 1940: Norwegian sail ship Blaamannen (174 BRT), from Haugesund
  Haugesund
  is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
  
  , hits a mine laid on 27 May and sinks at 59°28′00"N 05°12′00"E
• 31 May 1940: Norwegian merchantman Jadarland (938 BRT), from Haugesund
  Haugesund
  is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
  
  , hits a mine laid on 27 May and sinks at 59°28′00"N 05°12′00"E
• 10 June 1940: Norwegian merchantman Sverre Sigurdssøn (1 081 BRT) hits a mine laid on 9 June off Herdla
  Herdla
  Herdla is an island in Askøy, Norway, at the north end of the island of Askøy. The island was part of the municipality of Herdla until 1 January 1964. The island has a nature reserve with 220 registered species of birds...
  
   and sinks at 60°36′00"N 04°55′00"E
• 7 July 1940: Norwegian merchantman Almora (2 433 BRT), from Egersund
  Egersund
  The town of Egersund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was merged with the surrounding municipality of Eigersund January 1, 1965....
  
  , hits a mine laid on 10 May at 58°21′00"N 06°01′00"E. The ship survives.
• 24 July 1940: Norwegian merchantman Kem (1 705 BRT), from Egersund, hits a mine laid on 10 May and sinks at 58°21′00"N 06°01′00"E.
• 28 July 1940: Norwegian merchantman Argo (413 BRT), from Egersund, hits a mine laid on 10 May and sinks at 58°21′00"N 06°01′00"E.

1941

• 21 August 1941: Rubis torpedoes and sinks Finnish merchantman Hogland (4 360 BRT) off Norway at 58°27′00"N 05°46′00"E.

1942

• 12 June 1942: German auxiliary minesweeper M 4212 (formerly Marie Frans), 125 BRT, hits a mine laid on 5 June and sinks at 43°37′00"N 01°34′00"W.
• 26 June 1942: French tugboat Quand Même (288 BRT) hits a mine laid on 5 June and sinks at 43°37′00"N 01°35′00"W.
• 10 July 1942: German auxiliary minesweeper M 4401 (formerly Imbrin), 339 BRT, hits a mine and sinks at 44°58′00"N 01°23′00"W.
• 18 August 1942: German Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...
  
   V 406 (formerly Hans Loh), 464 BRT, hits a mine laid on 14 August and sinks at 45°03′00"N 01°34′00"W.
• 20 September 1942: German auxiliary minesweeper M 4448 (formerly: L 4148), 77 BRT, hits a mine laid on 5 June and sinks at 43°37′00"N 01°34′00"W.

1943

• 10 July 1943: German auxiliary minesweeper M 4451 (formerly Gauleiter A. Meyer), 652 BRT, hits a mine off Arcachon and sinks at 44°58′00"N 01°10′00"W.

1944

• 26 September 1944: German auxiliary submarine hunter UJ 1106 (formerly Grönland), 464 BRT, hits a mine laid on 24 September and sinks at 58°45′00"N 05°24′00"E.
• 27 September 1944:
  • German auxiliary submarine hunter UJ 1715 (formerly Lesum), 464 BRT, hits a mine laid on 24 September and sinks at 58°45′00"N 05°24′00"E
  • German merchantman Cläre Hugo Stinnes (5 295 BRT) hits a mine laid on 24 September and sinks at 58°45′00"N 05°24′00"E
  • Norwegian cargo Knute Nelson (5 749 BRT) hits a mine laid on 24 September and sinks at 58°45′00"N 05°24′00"E
• 27 October 1944: German Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...
  
  V 5304 (formerly Seehund) hits a mine laid on 18 October at 60°55′00"N 04°40′00"E. The ship survives with heavy damage.
• 24 November 1944: Norwegian merchantman Castor (1 683 BRT), from Egersund, hits a mine laid on the same day and sustain damage.
• 21 December 1944, off Norway:
  • German cargo Weichselland (formerly Letton Gundega), 3 654 BRT, hits a mine laid on 19 December and sinks
  • German auxiliary submarine hunter UJ 1113 / KUJ 7, 970 BRT, hits a mine laid on 19 December and sinks
  • German auxiliary submarine hunter UJ 1116 / KUJ 11, 970 BRT, hits a mine laid on 19 December and sinks
  • German auxiliary submarine hunter UJ 1702 / KUJ 16, 970 BRT, hits a mine laid on 19 December and sinks
  • German minesweeper R 402, 140 t, hits a mine laid on 19 December and sinks