>
The Rubis (S 601 ; ex Provence) is a first-generation nuclear

Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...

 attack 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...

 of 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...

, named after the French submarine Rubis

Rubis (1931)

The Rubis was a Saphir-class minelaying submarine which served in the French Navy and Free French Navy during the Second World War...

 which distinguished herself during the Second World War.

Originally named Provence, she was renamed to Rubis on 18 December 1980. Being the lead ship of the Rubis class

Rubis class submarine

The Rubis type is a class of first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy. They are the most compact nuclear attack submarines to date.All submarines of the class are named after gemstones.-History:...

, her fine-tuning was long, notably needing over 1000 hours of underwater testing before commissioning

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

.

The Rubis is alleged to have entered the Pacific Ocean in 1985 to support the operation which led to the Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior

Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior

The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique, was an operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure , carried out on July 10, 1985...

. It is claimed that the submarine recovered the crew of the yacht Ouvéa

Ouvéa (ship)

Ouvéa, named after Ouvéa Island, was the name of a yacht used by three DGSE agents to import the naval mines used to sink the Greenpeace protest yacht Rainbow Warrior in 1985, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. The Ouvea was sailed to Norfolk Island after the bombing, from where one of the...

 before they could be re-arrested by New Zealand police for their role in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/rw/pkbomb.html

The Rubis formed part of the French naval contribution to the Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. Between September 1992 and July 1993, she undertook a major refitting which upgraded her to the level of the Améthyste

FS Améthyste

The Améthyste is a nuclear-powered attack submarine of the French Navy, the fifth of the Rubis type. Her name is a pun on a precious stone and the acronym AMElioration Tactique, HydrodYnamique, Silence, Transmission, Ecoute . She is the first vessel to serve in the French Navy under that name...

. Soon after, on 17 July 1993, the Rubis collided with the tanker Lyria, as the Rubis was surfacing, causing minor damages and injuries.

The Rubis also took part in Operation Trident, the 1999 bombing campaign over Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

, by protecting the aeronaval group. Along with the Améthyste

FS Améthyste

The Améthyste is a nuclear-powered attack submarine of the French Navy, the fifth of the Rubis type. Her name is a pun on a precious stone and the acronym AMElioration Tactique, HydrodYnamique, Silence, Transmission, Ecoute . She is the first vessel to serve in the French Navy under that name...

, she was one of the two submarines who interdicted the Kotor

Kotor

Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....

 straits to the Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

n Navy, thus effectively forbidding its use. She 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

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

.

On 18 July 1996, the fourragère

Fourragère

The fourragère is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, that is shaped as a braided cord. The award has been firstly adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.- History :...

 of 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...

was given to the submarine and her crew, as a legacy of the Rubis of the Second World War, which had been awarded the medal.

On 30 March 2007, while submerged, Rubis ran hit the bottom, damaging her bow and sonar. She returned to operations in July 2008.