Profile Rubis Free French Submarine by Vice-Admiral d’Escadre H.L. G, Rousselot, DSO DSCThe unofficial badge of the Free French S/M Rubis cover PHOTO. The conning tower of the Rubis rom the forward end of the casing (Etablissement Cinematographique et Photogrephique des Armes) Warships Series Editor: ANTONY PRESTONRUuDIS Free French Submarine by Vice-Admiral d'Escadre H. L. G. Rousselot, DSO DSC ing Submarines of the Saphir class Design history and construction The French submarine Rubis was launched in 1931 and commissioned in 1932. She was built at Toulon in the naval shipyard to plans drawn up by French naval constructors, and was the fourth of a series of six minelaying submarines whose construction was authorised in 1925. The prototype was the Saphir. commissioned in 1930, and followed by Turquoise (1930), Nautilus (1931), Rubis (1932), Diamant (1933) and Perle (1937). The Nautilus was the only one of the series which was not given the name of a precious stone. This exception was caused by the fact that 1928, when her keel was laid down, was the centenary of the birth of Jules Verne and it was thought appropriate to commemorate the event by reviving the name of the submarine imagined by the famous writer in his book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. ‘The Saphir class submarines used a new minelaying device invented by a Mr Fenaux and developed by the shipbuilder Augustin Normand of Le Havre. All minelaying submarines at that time were equipped to lay moored mines which were the only ones in general use before 1940. But the design of a minelaying submarine depended on whether the mines were to be carried inside or outside the pressure hull, Internal mines had some advantages the mines could be kept in better condition and even receive some maintenance before they were laid They could also be primed only a short time before laying to ensure greater safety during the sub- ‘marine’s transit to her laying area, The disadvantages were that the system of laying mines was more complex as it had to be done through a lock, and the total weight of the mines had to be taken into account in the displacement of the submarine, as well as in the capacity of the compensating tanks necessary to maintain the trim of the submarine during the lay. In Fenaux's minelaying device used in the Saphir class submarines, mines were carried outside the pressure hull in four groups of vertical wells, each well containing two mines, one above the other. 264 FF S/M1 Rubi The groups of four wells each were fitted sym- metrically fore and aft of the centre ballast tanks. The submarine could carry 32 mines in this manner. Mines were guided into their well by vertical rails and were then secured by a stop. They were released by air pressure gear operated from inside the submarine. Their depth of mooring could be set a short time before laying. For that the submarine would come to the correct depth and the hydrostatic device in the mine would be set in operation mechanically from within the submarine. The operation had to be repeated at different depths for the two horizontal rows of mines. The compensa tion of weight during the lay was obtained by filling at the correct speed four compensating tanks situated in the adjoining ballast tanks. The mine used was made by Sauter Harlé. It weighed 1090kg (375kg in the water) and had a 220kg explosive charge. Operational History Minelaying submarines were originally based in Toulon, as the Mediterranean was considered to be the main strategical theatre for the French navy in any future war. But in November 1936 four of them, Saphir, Turquoise, Nautilus and Rubis were moved to Cherbourg, where they were based until May 1939. The main purpose of this transfer was to give the ships better training in minelaying operations conducted in waters subject to currents and strong tides. In May 1939, as the threat of war grew, the four submarines were transferred back to. the Mediterranean, but now based at Bizerta in Tunisia. That is where the declaration of war found the Rubis on 9 September 1939. When war was declared, Rubis was under the command of Lieutenant’ de Vaisseau Georges Cabanier. Enseigne de Vaisseau de tere cl. Henri Rousselot who had been on board since 1935 was first lieutenant and Enseigne de Vaisseau Henri Simon Dubuisson was the ‘third hand’. War did not affect Aubis much at first as she was lying in the dockyard for a long refit. At the end of 1939 the refit was completed and Rubis had a month of intensive training. in January 1940, she received orders from the French Admiralty to sail with Saphir and Nautilus for Brest, where the three submarines were to be fitted out for future opera: tions in the Far North. These operations were connected with a project worked out by the French High Command for an expedition to assist Finland inher struggle with the USSR The project was soon abandoned as it did not obtain the approval of the British Government, which did not want to run the risk of a war with tro} 1001 Peity Officer. Beside th commanding officer thro decoration awarded by th On left the two hyde ladder, the First Lieutenant: gh the ‘kiosqui National Canine Defence League The Conning Tower of FF S/1M Rubis sh Lieutenant de Vaisseau H. Simon Dubuisson hatch. In the centre Bacchus’ the mascot of Fubis wear fing Capitaine de Corvette HL, G, Rousselot at the periscope upervision of ng the valiant dogs shor's Collection) ators working the ‘planes un (Author's Colfection 27Russia. In any case, by the time the three sub- ‘marines were ready Finland had capitulated. Another mission was soon in sight. On 9 April 1940, Denmark and Norway were invaded, and the first Allied reaction was to announce their intention to mine Norwegian waters to interrupt the iron ore waffic between Finland and Germany which was essential for German war production. To make the mining effective, minefields had to be created quickly. Britain was doing her best but she needed as many minelayers as possible, and so the British Admiralty asked for the co-operation of French minelaying submarines. The French Admiralty was reluctant to lend three submarines, as there was a serious throat of Italy entering the war. It was finally decided to send Saphir and Nautilus back to the Mediterranean, and to lend to the British Admiralty the submarine Rubis, which was in better material condition than her two sister ships. That is how Rubis sailed for Britain in April 1940 she was not to return to France until 1945. She went to Harwich with her first load of mines, and after a trial trip she was then to join the Sth Submarine Flotilla at Dundee, where the French minelayer Pollux would bring her a stock of mines for further operations. She arrived in Harwich on 1 May 1940 after a long journey in thick fog through the swept channels. On either side the gloomy sight of masts and funnels of sunken ships testified to the success of the first German magnetic mine offensive. In Harwich, as Rubis was to operate under British command, she was given a liaison officer, Lieutenant E. J. D. Turner, assisted by a leading signalman and aradio operator First Operation, 3-14 May 1940 Rubis sailed for her first patrol on 3 May 1940. The objective was to lay mines at the entrance of the Norwegian harbour of Kristiansand {At that stage of the war the threat from aircraft was small, and submarines navigated on the surface, diving only when an aircraft was sighted. Thus @ minelaying operation consisted in approaching the enemy coast on the surface, adjusting speed to be able to dive before dawn at a distance from the position of lay sufficient to complete the approach submerged, lay the mines in broad daylight in order to get good fixes, and then withdraw to a good distance from the coast before surfacing, Usually complete freedom was given to the Commanding Officer to choose, within a period of some days, the day when he estimated that meteorological conditions were favourable for the lay. As soon as the lay was completed, the submarine withdrew to a patrol area, where she spent the rest of the time allotted for the operation, and returned to port without further orders, The minelaying operation had priority. Before it was completed the submarine had to be discreet and refrain from attacking with torpedoes enemy targets unless they were of great value (cruisers and above) or situated far enough from the position of lay to be attacked without great risk of discovery. A counter attack would be very dangerous for @ submarine 28 ready t0 open Rubis' main vents when 7 (Author's Collection) carrying, outside the pressure hull, a large quantity of high explosive. After the lay there was no restriction on the use of torpedoes if targets were encountered, Such were the conditions when Rubis sailed for her first operation, All members of the ship's company were determined to do their best tc make it success- ful, but also very conscious of their lack of experience. Rubis was approaching Kristiansand during the night, when a rather mysterious counter order was received in a new ciphering code. The position of lay was changed; instead of the entrance of Kristiansand she had to mine the southern entrance of Egersund further north on the coast of Norway. This was done without incident on 10 May, mines being laid on a line in position 58° 21'N 6° 01'E, and Rubis returned to the submarine base at Dundee. It was guessed at the time that the change in Rubis" orders had probably been caused by ciphers being compromised, but it was only much later that the story of HM Submarine Sea/ became known; she had been captured after being badly damaged whenlaying mines in the Kattegat and it was feared that her signal books had fallen into enemy hands. Although the results of this operation were thought to be negative at the time, it is now known that the minefield claimed two mercantile vessels sunk (S4grt and 1706grt respectively) and one damaged (2433grt). The position of lay was very near the shore but it was easily accessible. Good experience was obtained through this first operation and the next ones chosen were more difficult. Second Operation, 23-30 May 1940 The position of lay was chosen rather far inside the Norwegian fiords, near the entrance of Haugesund Including the approach, the transit of the fiord and the withdrawal, at least 36 hours of submerged navigation had to be allowed for. Precautions were taken to cut down the use of electric power during these 36 hours, mainly by closing the galley and preparing in advance cold meals and hot drinks kept in thermos bottles. The operation went on without incident, but air activity over the North Sea had increased con- siderably, and crash diving for a sighted aircraft was more frequent, putting greater strain on personnel. Rubis having left Dundee on 23 May, laid her mines on 27 May in Sletten Channel near Haugesund at @ distance of 300 metres from Bleivik. She returned to base on 30 May. Immediate results were obtained after this operation ; a barge of 174 tons and a cargo boat of 938 tons were sunk in the minefield on 28 and 31 May respectively. Deiails of Rubis' depth control panel. Note that the cor On French submi the panels on the starboard side of the stv. Third Operation, 5-12 June 1940 The third operation was very similar to the previous ones. Aubis laid her mines on 9 June, 12 miles inside the Fedjeosenfiord leading to the northern entrance to Bergen. There was no incident except that emergency diving occurred very often and that Rubis was sighted at dawn when approaching the Norwegian coast on 9 June by a German destroyer which circled several times around the position where Rubis had dived, before disappearing at full speed on a southerly course. There was also a rather amusing event when the commanding officer, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Cabanier, raising the periscope in the flat calm waters of the fiord, was surprised to discover a few yards away, Norwegian fishermen, laughing and drinking beer. The result of the mission was the sinking of a 1081 tons cargo boat which blew up on the mines on 10 June 1940. Each time Rubis came back from patrol news from France was getting worse. After the third mission the French Admiralty recalled her to France altogether, with the depot ship Jules Verne and the flotilla of French submarines which had been operating from Dundee. Rubis received the following messages From Vice-Admiral Submarines Max Horton ‘On the successful completion of your third operation, may | express my admiration for the efficiency and skill which have invariably charac- terised your work. | shall be extremely sorry to lose the services of the Rubis'—12.6.40. and from Admiralty to VAS“Before departure of Rubis request you will convey to her Their Lordships’ appreciation of the successful and arduous services which she has carried out in Norwegian waters.” The departure of Rubis from Scotland had been fixed on 18 June, but the British Admiralty strongly urged that Aubis, rather than go back to France with her last cargo of mines, should sail on a fourth operation. This was agreed upon, on condition that Rubis would be recalled if an armistice was signed. Fourth Operation Rubis put to sea on 20 June 1940 with orders to lay her mines well inside the fiord of Trondheim, where most of the German Fleet was then stationed. She had to pass submerged under the destroyer patrolling the entrance but was not detected and laid her mines on 26 June, The French Armistice had been signed on 22 June with Germany, and on 24 June with Italy. ‘Difficulties of communications’ had prevented Rubis from receiving this news before she laid her mines. 4 Fubie twointernal bow - ‘Author's Collection) Events following the French Armistice After the Armistice, Rubis was left for some days without precise orders from the French authorities in London, Thon, in early morning of 3 July 1940, she was seized by the Royal Navy like all other French warships stationed in Britain. For Rubis, this was done without any incident, because of the tact and the understanding of the Commander 9th Submarine Flotilla, Captain Roper, and also of Vice-Admiral Max Horton who took it upon himself to interpret his orders as tactfully as possible. The following message went from Admiral Horton to L. V. Cabanier— "To the Commanding Officer, French Submarine Rubis—From Vice-Admiral (Submarines), North- ways, London: It is with great regret and pain that | must order some restrictions to be placed on the liberty of you, your officers and ship's company, one and all most gallant men who had done unsurpassed work for the Allied cause in the North Sea. | am sure that you will appreciate that where steps of this kind have been ordered generally, it is necessary and advisable to make no exceptions while the situation as a whole remains so complicated. | say this because |, and all those who have served in Rubis, have complete confidence in you and all your personnel, “| trust that these measures will only be brief. My sincerest sympathy is with you at the undeserved blow fate has dealt you and yours in recent days. "Should you wish to communicate with me direct, please do so.” Then came the moment to make the choice. Since the Armistice, most of the Rubis’ crew were determined to cary on the fight in Britain. The seizing of the ship and the Mers-el-Kebir affair caused some hesitation, but finally, with the exception of one young officer, one petty officer and three ratings, the ship's company decided to stay in Britain. On 18 June 1940, they had heard the famous call of General de Gaulle to join him but they had not immediately realised whet significance it had for them, As soon as they understood that they would continue to serve in French uniforms they enlisted in the Free French Forces, expressing the wish to continue to serve in Rubis under her commander and officers. They were soon on board Rubis again to undergo a short refit. Some time later, Rubis' company received awards for the success of their first operation. The commanding officer received the DSO, the first ligutenant and the third hand the DSC, five petty officers the DSM and five petty officers and ratings a mention in dispatches. At the same time Rubis received a citation from General de Gaulle. Operations with Free French Forces until April 1941 Rubis was ready again for sea on 5 September 1940. Butas she had no more mines she could only be used as an attack submarine of rather poor offensive value, with her low speed and her small number of torpedo tubes. However Rubis did tour patrols before the end of the year, all of them unsuccessful, 31Sir Max Horton. Flag Officer Sub 1942 to hoist the radar antenna, fo Rubis'officersand men in Dun Rubis’ high pressure air valves, Behing Fifth Patrol, 5-20 September 1940 A patrol executed near the Dogger Bank during which very bad weather was encountered. Sixth Patrol, 5-18 October 1940 An uneventful patol executed first outside the entrance of Bomelfiord and later at the entrance to Stavanger, Seventh Patrol, 31 October-14 November 1940 This time Rubis had orders to land an agent in Norway. She sailed from Dundee on 31 October with her mysterious passenger, and the landing took place on the west coast of the Island of Bommelo near @ small place called Nappen in Korsfiord. Everything went according to plan. In good weather fon the very dark night of 3 November, Rubis surfaced about half a mile from Nappen and the agent, who called himself Torvig, was put in a canoe and left for the shore. It is interesting to relate that the author recently had the pleasure of meeting the so-called Torvig. This meeting, after 31 years, was rather moving, Torvig is known now as General 32 Forde of the Norwegian Air Force and is serving with NATO. After the landing of the agent, Aukis, withdrew and patrolled until 12 November at the entrance of Korsfiord. But the weather had become very bad and nothing was sighted. Eighth Patrol, 1-18 December 1940 Rubis accomplished a last patrol in 1940 on the Norwegian coast. It took place in the Utvaer area and was unsuccessful. As soon as Rubis was back at Dundee she was taken in hand by the Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Company for a complete overhaul, which was badly needed ; she also needed alterations to allow her to lay British mines, as it proved impossible to copy the Sauter Harle pattern of mine, The refit took four months, and asted until May 1941. The fitting of British made mines was rather easy, as Vickers-Armstrongs had developed a mine for the Rumanian Navy whose dimensions were not very different from the Sauter Harlé type in the Rubis. They were slightly smaller in diameter and @ea me ee) ——___few centimetres higher. As the total height of two superimposed mines did not exceed the height of Rubis' mine-wells, the fitting was achieved by a simple alteration of the positon of the mooring gear. The weight of the mines was different, but as the British mines were lighter the capacity of the compensating tanks was sufficient, and only the graduations of their gauges had to be modified to, indicate the level corresponding to each mine. The mine differed from the French type in several other characteristics : the weight of explosive was smaller, and the safety devices (very efficient) were activated bya different action. The depth of the mine could not be set at sea from inside the submarine before the lay as in the French mine, so the mines had to be set. when embarked. This meant that they had to be laid during fixed time limits, when conditions of tide were appropriate for the setting. The British mine had the advantage of being fitted with a clock that could be set to render the mine inoperative by sinking for a period of up to 45 days, Mined areas could thus be used safely for future operations for some time after thelay. Operations from April 1941 to December 1944 Rubis was ready for sea on 7 May 1941 and carried out tials near Dundee. Then on 10 May, her commanding officer, Capitaine de Corvette Cabanier, was transferred to another post and was relieved by Lieutenant de Vaisseau Rousselot. Each of the other officers was raised one rank, and a young midship- ‘man was posted to the most junior rank vacant. On 14 May Aubis sailed for Holy Loch where she was expected to complete her training and practise with her new mines. The training was cut short when on 1 June 1941 she was ordered to sail fora patrolin the Bay of Biscay. Ninth Operation, 1-15 June 1941 Rubis was urgently needed with HM S/M Tuna to reinforce the barrage of submarines laid across the Bay of Biscay to intercept German raiders. Rubis reached her patrol area on 4 June, but on 8 June, when she surfaced at 2310, in rather bad weather, her steering gear was jammed 25° to starboard. It ‘was soon realised that the defect was serious as the ‘gear was disconnected outside the pressure hull, in the extreme after part of the hull The incident was reported to Admiral (S) who replied that, if the rudder could not be brought amidships, the ship would be incapable of making her way or of being towed. A rendezvous would then be arranged with another submarine who would take her crew, and Aubis would then be scuttled. For two days Rubs had to wait for better weather before the stein could be examined. She was kept hove to at night by combining the action of, the jammed rudder and of one electric motor put ahead from time to time. By day she submerged and circled round. On the evening of 10 June, an improvement in the weather permitted access to the stern, A universal coupling on the steering gear was found dis- connected, but fortunately all the missing parts of ‘the coupling were found lying in the casing under- neath and the damage was quickly repaired. A pin 34 left out during the refit was the cause of the damage, Rubis reached Holy Loch on 15 June and Dundee on 19 June. A thorough inspection of her equipment was made, after which she was used for some time for exercises with British aircraft. Tenth Operation, 14-25 August1941 Rubis sailed from Dundee on 14 August 1941 for her first minelaying operation using che British mines fitted during ner overhaul. Her mission was to mine the southern and northern entrances to the Norwegian harbour of Egersund. To cross from Britain to Norway, submarines had to go a long way around to keep in deep waters north Of the Shetland Islands, and to avoid the dangerous ‘enemy minefield that had been established across the North Sea, Travelling on the surface by night end submerged by day, she made her landfall on 21 August in the early morning. At 0800 she laid her first line of mines across the southern channel leading to Egersund, in position: Haadiret-38'-1.3 miles. The weather was good, the sea flat calm. Rubis mace for the position of the second lay, using her periscope very sparingly, because of the flat calm conditions and the proximity of the shore. At 1210 a southbound 3000ton tanker escorted by @ trawler was sighted at 2000 yards (1000 yards off track) As there was not enough time to alter course to attack, Rubis’ casing-mounted torpedo tubes were trained 90° to starboard and 2 556mm torpedo was fired. It did not leave the tube and ran while still housed, causing a flow of air bubbles on the surface, but fortunately this was not detected by the enemy. After this disappointing miss, Avbis resumed her course towards the position of the second lay. When she reached it at 58°27", 5N and 03°46", 5E 2 southbound convoy of two supply ships escorted by ‘two trawlers was sighted at a distance of about eight miles to the north, steering straight for the position of the lay. The speed of the convoy being about eight knots, Rubis' Commanding Officer estimated that the mines would be active when the convoy would reach their position. He, therefore, decided to lay the mines as he had been ordered on a line across the channel at intervals of SC yards. When the lay was completed, at 1415, fubis steered 2 northwest course to get away from the minefield and at the same time off the course of the convoy, with the intention of turning and attacking it with the bow torpedoes before it would reach the minefield. This was done but there was not much time for such an evolution and Aubis was very close for firing her torpedoes. The enemy escort ship on the starboard side of the convoy increased speed and passed less than 200 yards away from Rubis who, some minutes later, at 1435, fired her two bow torpedoes at five seconds’ interval at the leading supply ship, a cargo vessel of about 4000tons. Both torpedoes hit ten and seven seconds after firing. Rubis came to port and went deep in order to pass under the rest of the convoy. But, having fired her torpedoes at very low speed the trimming of the ship was upset and Rubis touched the bottom at aTop: Rubis returning from patrol in the bay of Biscay, aweiting in the Solent for permission to enter Portsmouth (Author's Collection Bottom: The British Till mines fitted in Rubis. The mines ready for embarking are shown to Admiral Auboyneau Flag Otticer Free French Naval Forces, in Dundee Submarine base. (Author's Collection) 35Rubis is depicted as she was on completion of her refitin May 1943, Note the British pendant number P.15 on her conning-tower and the Oerlikon AA gun which had been added at the after end. The outline of the minelaying wells can be seen on the saddle tanks in the plan view. D. Johnson © Profile Publications Ltddepth of 22.5 fathoms, about two miles off the shore. She lay silently while several explosions were heard. These explosions did not damage the submarine but her main batteries had suffered from the effect of her own torpedoes. The extent of the damage was not immediately discovered as all electrical auxiliaries had been stopped to reduce noise while several ships were heard passing overhead, ‘At 2200 Rubis surfaced with difficulty as she was without electrical power. All was quiet, the night very dark and the sea flat calm. Rubis steered westward at ten knots on her diesel engines, running the electric auxiliary machinery by floating the batteries. Rubis signalled to Admiral (S) her inability to dive, and giving her position, course and speed. During the night she succeeded in moving away about 45 miles off the coast until she had to stop at 0635 on 22 August in position 58°01'N, 04°01'E. Several cells were on fire in the battery, and as soon. as she stopped fumes spread inside the ship making the air unbreathable. Rubis remained stopped all day and night until 23 August at 1100, ‘Then, temporary repairs having been effecte was able to run on one engine at seven knots, During daylight on 22 and 23 August patrols by she Rubis damaged and unable to dive stopped on the flat calm sea on 22 August 1941, 40 miles off the Norwegian coast (Author's Collection) RAF Coastal Command aircraft insured protection for Rubis. A strong naval force composed of the anti-aircratt cruiser HMS Curacao, four destrcyers, two trawlers and a tug, had been sent to her rescue, but they were ordered to wait for Rubis on the other side of the dangerous minefield across the North Sea, unless. Rubis was attacked by enemy surface forces. Rubis met the surface forces on the evening of 23 August and made for Dundee with her important escort. She arrived safely in port on 25 August at 1400. Unfortunately a man had been ost when he fell overboard during the night, while the crew had stayed on deck to avoid intoxication from the fumes that had filled the submarine. The result of the operation was the destruction of a 4360ton supply ship by torpedoes and of an anti-submarine craft which blew up on Rubis’ minefield. After the operation Aubis was out of service until November 1941. Some repairs had to be done to her ballast tanks and keel, which hed been damaged when she hit the rocky bottom in Norwegian waters, ‘Anew battery had to be found, and this was done by gathering all the available cells from French submarines which had come to Britain in 1940 but could not be commissioned through the lack of other stores. Eleventh Operation, 18 November-6 December 1941 Rubis was sent on a patrol in the vicinity of Utvaer Lighthouse. She met very bad weather and had to heave to, and so reached her patrcl area very late on 29 November. Nothing was sighted, and Rubis ‘was back in Dundee by 6 December. ‘Twelfth Operation—8-20 January 1942 This time Rubis was sent to lay mines on the French coast, in the Bay of Biscay, near Saint Jean de Luz, on the coastal route followed by ships bringing iron ore from Spain. She left Dundee on 8 January ‘942 escorted by HMS Loch Monteith as far as Wolf Rock. Mines were laid on 16 January, in groups, half a mile off the entrance to Saint Jean de Luz, in shallow waters (100 12 fathoms) Rubis was back in Falmouth on 20 January. From there she sailed for Holy Loch, in company with HM S/M 7una escorted by HMS White Bear. The group was attacked at 1915, near Land's End by a Ju88 who, although it was almost complete darkness, dropped three bombs 150 yards astern to port of Aubis. Tuna dived, but Rutis only decreased speed to reduce the wake, which had very probably revealed the presence of the submarine to the enemy aircraft. After three days in Holy Loch, Rubis, always escorted by White Bear and in company with P551 and P41 joined Dundee on 29 January. No result of the minelaying operation was known. Aubis had suffered a close shave from the bombing and also, on her way to Saint Jean de Luz she had almost collided at night with a German submarine which was sighted at 500 yards too late for any offensive action,Rubis under way at 7 knots on 23 August 1947 aft (Author'sThirteenth Operation—12-26 March 1942 This operation consisted in laying a minefield on the Jutland Bank as a barrier against the passage of German raiders. After a good fix obtained on the southern coast of Norway, the lay was done on 21 March by echo- sounding fixes on the bank as land was out of sight. No result of this operation was known Fourteenth Operation—8-15 April 1942 This was a minelaying operation executed without incident on the approaches to the western entrance of Trondheim Fiord. The only difficulty encountered ‘was from the great distance from the coast; precise land fixes were hard to obtain Fifteenth Operation, 27 May-14 June 1942 Tactical conditions in Norwegian waters had changed as enemy surveillance by aircraft, surface ships and radar had been developed and improved, The Admiralty, therefore, decided that Rubis would ot be used there during the summer months, when nights were too short to allow charging the batteries in darkness. Instead she would join the 5th Submarine Flotilla in Gosport for three months and operate in the Bay of Biscay. ‘The purpose of these operations was to lay, between the Spanish border and the entrance to the Gironde river, thin but extensive minefields, aiming not so much to destroy shipping but to give the impre: 4 Rubis forward crew space (Author's Collection) Capitaine de Corvette H: Roussolot presenting Rubis! ‘mascot ‘Bacchus’ 10 journalists after his aifficult return from patrol (Author's Collection) that a large area had been mined. This would hamper the transport of goods, especially iron ore from Spain to France, for the most part executed by neutral sailors not very willing to take risks. Rubis lelt Dundee 27 May escorted by HMS Loch ‘Monteith, who was relieved on 30 May by Jan Van Gelder Mines were laid on 5 June in two groups, nine miles apart, some distance offshore near Cap Breton. Rubis was back in Portsmouth on 14 June. Apart from sighting of three armed trawlers, probably minesweepers, on the morning of the lay, and the presence of many fishing boats in the area, Rubis had nothing to report Sixteenth Operation, 30 June—15 July 1942 Having sailed from Portsmouth on 30 June, after an uneventful passage Rubis laid her mines on 7 July, in six groups spread out over some 20 miles parallel to the coast north of Arcachon. On her return journey, Rubis, as usual, had to rendezvous on 14 July at 0800, south of Lizard head, with an escort vessel which was, this time, the Free French Chasseur No 8 based on Cowes. She was not at the rendezvous and Rubis, after waiting for an hour, made for Falmouth where she was given another escort and proceeded to Dartmouth to join a convoy going to Portsmouth. On the way, members of Rubis’ ship's company were very sad to learn that Chasseur No & had been sunk by enemy air attack on her way to the rendezvous. Of the 27 men of her ship’s company there was only fone survivor, the British liaison officer who had survived more than 18 hours in the water. This sad event cast a shadow over the celebration ofRubis’ officers in 1942. From left to wu Hemar, Third Hand, Lie' renant de V Vaisseau Olry, Four the French National Day, which otherwise would have been enhanced by its coincidence with a safe return from patrol. Seventeenth Operation—8-18 August 1942 This operation was very similar to the preceding one. Eight groups of four mines each were laid on 14 August, scattered along a 24-mile course, ten miles off the coast, north of Arcachon. The only incident was a breakdown of the port diesel engine which took 24 hours to repair. When the operation was completed, Rubis went back to Dundee, under escort of HMS Cutty Sark, where she arrived on 24 August 1942 These three minelaying operations did not cause great damage to enemy shipping, but one ship, VP406 of 500tons, was sunk and a U-boat, U600, was damaged.' But the main objective was achieved as iron ore traffic from Bilbao 10 France was interrupted for a long time. Eighteenth Operation—10-24 September 1942 This operation was linked with the arrangements made by the Admiralty to give the best protection to convoys PO18 and OP14 on their way to and from Russia, threatened by German surface raiders based in Northern Norwegian waters. Rubis sailed from Dundee on 10 September escorted by Loch Monteith until Lerwick, which she left on the night of 12 September. 42 t: Lieutenant de Vaisseau Because of the long distance to the area of the lay near the western entrance to Tronso Harbour, the passage was made on the surface at 10 knots. Mines were laid on 18 September at the entrance of Malangen fiord? in position 69°40'N 17°24°E. Rubis, was back in Lerwick on 24 September where she joined HMS Loch Monteith wto took her with Uredd and P5410 Dundee on 25 September. The weather was particularly good during this long journey of more than 2000 miles, although cold and snowfalls were experienced near Troms6. The sea appeared completely empty, and nothing was sighted on the surface. Rubis only had to dive twice for a seaplane near the same position on her way north and south. This plane was almost certainly a Dornier K26 specially equipped to have a range allowing a watch over the convays assembling in Iceland. On her return from this operation it was estimated that Rubis was badly in need of ¢ long refit. It was immediately undertaken, Engines and auxiliary machinery had a complete overhaul, and a new battery had to be found and instaled. As there were * Adm Roussolot is modest in his claims for Aubis as British records reveal that the minelielé claimed in adcition mine. Sweepers M427 and M4401 sunk, as well as four smaller vessels (1391 tons in all). However thay do not agree.on the damage to U600. (Ed) ® British records show thet this ied claimed a merchant vessel of 725 tons sunk. (Ed)no more cells available in the Free French Forces, a battery was borrowed from the French-built submarine Wilk of the Polish Navy. Some alterations were made: an Oerlikon 20mm gun was fitted on the after part of the conning tower to replace the two 13mm French machine-guns which were obsolete and almost inaccessible in bad weather on the after deck. Two Vickers 8mm machine-guns on the bridge were added to the armament. A radar set was installed, using the spare third periscope for the antenna; this led to a complete rearrangement of the officers’ quarters. ‘The refit was completed on 2 May 1943. Several changes occurred in the ship's company. The first lieutenant H. Simon Dubuisson who was given command of FF S/M Minerve, was relieved by Enseigne de Vaisseau Vissian. Later Ensiegne de Vaisseau R. Lamy joined Rubis as third hand. These two officers were two of the four survivors of the Free French corvette Mimosa, torpedoed by a U-boat in the Atlantic. None of the newly embarked personnel had any experience of submarines Accordingly Rub/s was sent for a period of trials and intensive training in the Clyde, after which she joined the 5th submarine Flotilla in Gosport, for a lew summer campaign of minelaying in the Bay of Biscay. Nineteenth Operation, 29 June-16 July 1943 This operation consisted in the laying of two groups of mines in positions eight and 18 miles west of Biscarosse, on the approaches to the Gironde River, It caused the sinking of the German patrol boat ‘M4451 of 652 tons which occurred on 10 July.* Twentieth Operation—1-8 August 1943 The mission was very short. Rubis laid four groups of mines south of the Raz de Sein on the approaches to Brest near position 47°50'N 05°00 W. ‘Twenty-first Operation, 23 August-11 September 1943 This was a minelaying operation carried out north of Bayonne on the coastal route, directed against the iron ore traffic from Spain. The only incident occurred on 29 August. Rubis had dived at dawn when a flotilla of trawlers had been sighted at a short distance; among them was one which looked like a patral ship. Later four Marvik Class destroyers appeared Although Rubis made her way all day at two knots towards her minelaying area, the destroyers kept in sight all the time and were observed manoeuvring in groups of two, approaching Rubis sometimes at 2 distance of about 2000yards. When Rubis surfaced at night and hurried away, starshells were fired in her direction. Rubis’ commanding officer never knew if his submarine had been detectad and tracked or if he had passed through an exercise area. ‘Twenty-second Operation, 27 September-9 October 1943 Rubis returned this time to lay mines in the approaches of Brest. On 2 October, mines were scattered in four groups near position: Penmarch 25710 miles. Many enemy warships were sighted at very long range, following the coastal route. The operation resulted in the sinking of the German submarine-chaser UJ7403, which blew up on the mines on 24 October.? after which 14 mines were swept inthe area After her return, Rubis received from Admiral (S) the following message: “Many congratulations on the laying of your 500th mine. As the only minelaying submarine in Home Waters for the greater part of the war, you have done outstanding and invaluable work which has caused the enemy considerable loss and dislocation of his shipping. My best wishes for the next 500.” Awards were given to the Officers and men of Rubis. Capitaine de Corvette H. Rousselot, who had already received a bar to his DSC on 21 January 1942, was appointed to the DSO. Enseigne de Vaisseau A. Vissian and Enseigne de Vaisseau R. Lamy received the DSC, eight petty officers and ratings received the DSM and three others were mentioned in despatches. Awards were also given bythe Free French Command. However, Rubis' activities were again interrupted for some time to repair an important defect. On the ‘occasion of a routine docking her commanding officer, while inspecting the hull and testing the steering gear, discovered that the plating of the stern casing which supported the rudder and the after hydroplanes . was split over such a length that it could be considered a miracle that all the gear had not dropped off at sea. Repairs were immediately undertaken: Alter some days of trials and training, Rubis was ready again for sea on 20 February 1944. Twenty-third Operation, 20 February-3 March 1944 Having left Portsmouth on 20 February 1944 Rubis laid a minefield along the coastal route, west of Lacanau, five miles offshore between Arcachon and ‘the Gironde River. As usual Rubis patrolled for some days in a nearby area. On 26 February, a U-boat escorted by two trawlers was sighted. An attack was started and Rubis’ Commanding Officer was expecting an easy success as the situation wes very favourable. A flotilla of fishing boats in the area would make any reaction of the escort difficult. Unfortunately when the range closed the formation altered course almost 90° away and the attack had to be abandoned, * British records show an additional small merchant vessel sunk inthisfield, (Ed) pritish records do not agree on this sinking, but a further search revealed a strange story: UUT403 was actually sunk in Collision with a French wawler, but the officers blamed the Sinking on a mine. The German enquiry into the loss uncovered the truth when the ratings failed to corroborate ther officers version of events. According to British records the field laid by the Rubrs was. 25-30 miles NW of the position given by us1403.(E3) > Rubis’ Commanding Officer met, ater the war, the German Officer who was in command of the escort. He confirmed that tha convoy had altered course normally when teaching a turning of the swept channel leading to the Gironde River Fubis hadnot been detected. 43On her return journey Rubis, on the surface at night, fired a torpedo at what looked in the hazy darkness like the shape of a big vessel, but it turned out to be a fishing boat under sai ‘Twenty-fourth Operation—17-30 March 1944 This was a minelaying operation executed on 28 March in the Bay of Biscay, in the vicinity of Rochbonne shoal. After this operation, Rubis was wansferred from the Sth Submarine Flotilla to the 3rd Flotilla based in Holy Loch where the submarine tenders HMS Forth and Titania were stationed. Leaving Portsmouth on 14 April she arrived in the Clyde on 19 April Rubis’ war operations were interrupted for some months to avoid interference with the preparation of the landing in France. ‘She was used during this period for anti-submarine training in the Clyde and Scapa Flow. In May 1944 she took part in the intensive training given in the Larne area to escorts which were to be employed in Operation ‘Neptune’. The Rubis men were very impressed by the realism of the exercises, in which they played the part of an enemy submarine, with dive bombers and motor torpedo boats attacking, often simultaneously, On 16 August 1944, Rubis was transfered to the 9th Submarine Flotilla in Dundee, to be employed again in minelaying operations in Norway as soon as. the length of nights was sufficient. ‘Twenty-fifth Operation, 18-29 September 1944 Rubis sailed on 18 September, under escort of Loch Monteith as far as the Shetland Islands. She laid her mines on 24 September in three groups on the southern approaches to Skudenesfiord, about 4 miles west of Joederens Point, end after patrolling the area until 26 September reurned to Dundee where she arrived on 1 October. This minelaying operation was the most successful On the evening of 27 Septemter, a southbound convoy of five merchant ships escorted by eight submarine-chasers coming from Stavanger, ran into Rubis' minefield. Two supply shits of 5749tons and 5295tons were sunk as well as two of the escort ships. ‘Twenty-sixth Operation 14-26 October 1944 A minelaying operation on the Norwegian coast ; between Haugesund and Bergen. Mines were laid in four groups of eight on 18 October off Fejeosen on a broken line starting in position: Helliso Lighthouse 240°—3:6 miles No result was known of this operation. * However, British records now attribute damage to the escort vvossal M5304 to thistield, (Ea) of the Rubis irom the forward and of We Armees)‘Twenty-seventh Operation, 18-29 November 1944 This operation saw Rubis again in a familiar area, the northern approaches to Egersund, Having sailed from Dundes on 18 November and passed in Lerwick, she made her landfall on 24 November on Egerd Lighthouse but had to wait 24 hours for better weather. Mines were laid in three groups at a distance of about two miles off Egero Lighthouse. Rubis was backin Lerwick on 26 November. On her way to Dundee escorted by MMT Forfait she experienced a very severe south east gale during which she had to assist her escort who was making water, and just managed to reach the shelter of land west of Fraserburgh before water reached the boiler- furnace, Damage to Castor 1683tons, on 24 November 1944, was attributed to Rubis' mines Twenty-eighth Operation, 13-24 December 1944 Rubis sailed from Dundee, escorted by Loch ‘Monteith and, as usual stopped for a day in Lerwick. On 18 December, Rubis had reached the area where the lay was planned, in the southern channel leading to Stavanger but although she approached the coast to a distance of less than a mile, using her echo-sounder nothing could be seen in the mist and the lay had to be postponed for 24 hours. On 19 December, visibility had improved; a landfall was made on Joederens beacon and the lay began When Rubis was laying the second group of mines, a northbound convoy of two barges escorted by an E-boat appeared very close. Rubis had to come hard to port to avoid running into it. The nearest boat passed at a distance of 200 yards to the east. After that incident the lay was completed, Rubis returned to Lerwick on 23 December and was back in Dundee. on 24 December at 1030 in time to celebrate Christmas ashore. This operation was very successful. On 21 December, in the early morning, a convoy of four supply ships and a U-boat escorted by three submarine-chasers, ran over the minefield. Two ships of the escort UJI113. and UJI116 and the Weichselland (8190tons) were sunk. During the minesweeping undertaken after these events, M/S R402 was blown up and sunk, Two views of the Rubis in June 1948, when she had returned to serve with the reccnstituted French Navy (Manus Bar)End of War—Return to France This was the last of Rubis” war operations. She needed a short refit as her engines had run for more than 2000 hours and many defects had to be repaired. It was first hoped that she would be ready again for sea at the end of January, but after further examination, the Admiralty estimated that the war would be over before Rubis would be properly refitted. It was decided that the repairs would be limited to whatever would be needed to get back to a French port. New awards were given to Rubis’ Officers and men, for their last actions Capitaine de Corvette Rousselot received a second bar to his DSC. Enseigne de Vaisseau Lamy who had replaced Vissian as first lieutenant for the last four operations, received a bar to his DSC. The third officer who was then Enseigne de Vaisseau Blondel was awarded the DSC. Seven other members of the ship's company received awards. Rubis' men were sentonleaveto Franceafterfiveyearsawayfromhome. On 8 June Rubis was ready for sea. She sailed for Falmouth where she arrived on 11 June. She had to wait there for some days to sail in convoy for Oran, as although the war was over, ships were ot sailing unescorted owing to the danger of unswept mines. Finally Rubis arrived at Oran on 23 June. She was decommissioned and her crew was dispersed to other ships. Results of Rubis’ operations The score attributed to Rubis by analysis of post-war records, is: 683 mines laid 14 supply ships of 21,41 0grt sunk 1 supply ship of 1683grt damaged 7 anti-submarine /minesweeper vessels sunk. 1 U-boat damaged 1 supply ship 4360grt sunk by torpedo Appreciation of her services was expressed by ‘Admiral Henry Moore, Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, in a letter dated 2 February 1945 “On completion of the service of French Submarine Rubis under British operational control | should like to record the Home Fleet's admiration of the valuable work she has carried aut aver along period. 2 Hard work and a fine spirit of endeavour against material and tactical difficulties have earned for her a high reputation, Under the leadership of two most able Commanding Officers the results of her many patrols are impressive, 31 wish Rubis and her crew every good fortune wherever they may be.” bymine Post-War Activities After a refit Rubis was recommissioned and served under two more Commanding Officers. In 1950 she was decommissioned and moored in Toulon submarine base where she was used to instruct young sailors joining the Submarine Service In 1957, the anti-submarine Training Squadron needed a Sonar target. Rubis was submerged near Toulon for that purpose. She is still lying there. 48 TECHRICALDATA ‘a Bown Launched Cor 71.25 20.1228 11.30 Name Sephir Paste: feud at Naples 15.43, Furguaie 192816529 1130 Toulon DY Captured Sizer lan F175: buted Bizrta8.5.43 Teulon BY Bombed by ‘Alle aerate at 31148; saved oar ana scrapped. Tonto DY Hulked at “Toulon 1950 Teiloa DY Seuttodat 27at2but selved29.344 ‘only tobe sunk by Alles seratlter Toulon DY Bombedin ‘ory Aled North atlantic Bras, Wootias 926 23070087 ube 128 30831 a3 Biomant 1229 18833638 Poe 131 30738 337 (Surfaces) 762 ons Submerged) 923 tone Dieplacoment Dimensions ‘8m (loa) «7:12m~8:13m Diameter of Height fromkeel to upper pointot conningtower Sm Propulsion (Surfaced) two 6-cvivder# stroke Diesel ‘engines (Vickors- Armstrong design ulin France under ieenee by Normand) developing {50bhpeach at 80rpm;maximum speed 12k (Sutmerged) ewo-octie motors (Schneider) ot 300hp ach Speed (Surfacea) 12nateatTJ000he (Submerged) 9knats ct 1000h9 Jemamane ‘T= 75mm gun, 32 mines Torpedo Tubes '3860mm—2400mn" Complement officers Spot officas| Stratngs Sources and Acknowledgments Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Co of Dundee for details of 1943 refit. French Ministry of Marine, Marius Bar (Toulon) and the ‘Author's personal collection for photographs, The French Navy, Volume | by Henri Le Masson (London 1969) Editor's Acknowledgments The following contributors’ help has been invaluable: Tom Burton, Mr4J. D. Lawson, and John Batchelor for the photograph which appears on p.45, "The 400mm (15;-7in) torpedoes were a specish high-spend type designed for use against shiping. Tore BSOnm (27-7) tabee ware ‘mounted forward ond the other was mounted withthe wo sate {ubes ina tote evolving mounting Inthe cesing abatt the conning