L'EPOPEE DU RUBEN. Le cargo panaméen RUBEN, lancé en 1951 des chantiers Weser de Brème sous le nom de DELIA a quitté Bayonne le 4 décembre et fait route au nord, direction Dunkerque. Au beau milieu de la tempête, il tombe en panne de machine et commence à dériver. Les courants l'entrainent vers Mimizan où l'attendent déjà le VIRGO et l'APOLLONIAN WAVE. Il talonne plusieurs fois mais son équipage parvient a remettre la machine en route. Le navire parvient à se dégager et son commandant de 72 ans décide de mettre cap au sud, vers Pasajes pour y réparer ses avaries. Mais la barre est endommagée et le RUBEN n'est plus vraiment maître de ses manoeuvres alors l'ordre est donné de mouiller l'ancre en face de la plage de Seignosse et de demander l'assistance des remorqueurs. Les secours s'organisent depuis la plage toute la nuit et au matin à 8h, grâce à la marée basse, l'équipage est évacué. Le cargo est en bon état, il est décidé de le renflouer. Plusieurs tentatives vont échouer et bientôt, le RUBEN est vendu aux enchères. Monsieur Voisin, un entrepreneur de Coex en Vendée rachète l'épave et s'engage à sortir le RUBEN de sa prison de sable. Après de multiples tentatives, il est enfin renfloué début août 1977 et gagne Bayonne d’où il était parti 8 mois plus tôt. Il y restera 1 an. Mais le coût du renflouement et les frais de remise en état trop importants obligent son propriétaire M. Voisin à le vendre à la casse. Il sera démoli en 1978 à Zumaya en Espagne. |
 Ruben in February 1977 - Photo : Ph Lauga |
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 Propeller of the Ruben : Photo Gilbert Saint-Guirons |
 Photo made during preparations for refloating the Ruben |
 Failed attempt, 2000 people went on the beach - Photo from my personal collection (Sud-Ouest 1977) |
 Another attempt, always a lot of crowd on the beach - Photo from my personal collection (Sud-Ouest 1977) |
| RUBEN : General Cargo ship, IMO 5088150, built in 1951 as DELIA, Unterweser shipyard in Bremerhaven (Germany), LOA : 82.7 m, DWT : 1939 T (Ex : DELIA 1951-1971, SICBALTIC 1971-1973, ROBIN 1973-1974, RUBEN (1974-1978) - Broken up in Zumaya in 1978 (Spain) |
THE EPIC RUBEN. Panamanian cargo ship RUBEN, launched as DELIA in 1951 from the shipyards Weser in Bremen, left Bayonne on December 4 and sails north towards Dunkirk. In the midst of the storm, it is the engine breakdown and the vessel begins to drift. The currents drag him towards Mimizan, where VIRGO and Apollonian WAVE are waiting for her on the beach. She touches the sand several times, but her crew manage to start the engine again. The ship suceeds to free herself and her 72-year captain decides to go head south to Pasajes to repair her vessel. But the bar is damaged and RUBEN is not longer really under control, so the captain gives order to drop the anchor opposite the beach of Seignosse and calls the assistance of tugs. The rescue is organized from the beach all night long and at 8 a.m in the following morning, thanks to the low tide, the crew is evacuated from the vessel. The ship is in good condition, it is decided to refloat her. Several attempts will fail and soon, RUBEN is auctioned. Mr. Voisin, a contractor from Coex in Vendee region buys the wreck and swears he will leave the RUBEN from her prison of sand. After several attempts, she is finally refloated at the beginning of August 1977 and arrives in Bayonne in tow, Bayonne from where she had left 8 months earlier. There she will stay 1 year. But the too heavy cost of the salvage operation and hull repairs oblige her owner Mr Voisin to sell her for scrap. She will be broken up in 1978 in Zumaya, Spain. |
 RUBEN - Photo from my personal collection |
 Very nice picture by Gilbert Saint-Guirons |
 The Ruben is for sale - Photo from my personal collection (Sud-Ouest 1977) |
 NEW : RUBEN during one attempt to refloat her - Photo from my personal collection |
 Mr Voisin won his bet. The Ruben finaly left the Seignosse's Beach on 02-08-77 and reached the port of Bayonne in tow with a list on starboard side- Photo from my personal collection (Sud-Ouest 1977) |
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