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| French Submarine Rubis |
Status: Rubis ("Ruby") was launched in 1931. She was active in World War II. 22 ships sunk. Scuttled in 1958 to be used as a sonar target.
"The wreck of the French submarine Rubis lies between Cavalaire and Saint Tropez about 3 miles from Cap Camarat. She rests perfectly upright on a flat seabed with a clear outline from bow to stern. The hull is mostly intact at about 216 feet long and 23 feet wide. The deck plating has peeled away in many spots which exposes air tanks, pipes, valves, and mine gear. The conning tower stands with its shape complete but the periscope and weapons are gone. Only the compass holder remains. The upper deck has collapsed in places which leaves narrow openings that show engines, piping, and control spaces. The forward flat deck in front of the tower is over 30 feet long and smooth. The main hatch and airlock are open but very tight and unsafe to enter. The stern opening that once allowed divers inside is now blocked. Strong currents are common but visibility is very clear. Marine life is rich with groupers, conger eels, morays, and sometimes sunfish or eagle rays. The wreck has become a famous dive site and was once used as a sonar target by the French Navy."
"She served from 1931 to 1950 as a mine laying submarine and became one of the most successful units of the Free French Naval Forces in World War II. She laid 683 mines and sank 22 enemy ships. After the war she was used as a training submarine and later laid up in Toulon. By 1958 she faced scrapping. On July 31 of that year the French Navy decided to scuttle her in deep enough water to avoid the breakers. Commander Riffaud oversaw the sinking about 3 miles off Cap Camarat. Charges opened her hull and she settled upright on the seabed without rolling. She has remained there ever since as a preserved steel shell with most internal systems still in place."
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| Wreck of the Rubis |
Image Source, Top: By Unknown photographer on a Coastal Command aircraft - Coastal Command, Ministry of Information, 1942, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1577621. Image caption states, "Free French submarine Rubis in grave difficulties in a minefield off Norway."
Image Source, Bottom: Meta via Ships Of The World.
