In the second half of the 1930s Ministry of the Colonies of the Kingdom of Italy placed an order for four ships to transport bananas from Mogadishu in Italian Somaliland to Naples. These ships had to have a large enough cargo capacity, and big endurance to be able to sail without any intermediate stops. These four refrigerating vessels were put under control of the Regia Azienda Monopolio delle Banane (RAMB) with headquarters in Rome. Two were built by CRDA at Monfalcone, and two, including Ramb I, at the Ansaldo shipyards in Sestri Ponente. Ramb I was built between October 1936 and December 1937 (hull number 308).
Medium-small but very modern vessels for the era, the four RAMBs could carry approximately 2,400 tons of cargo, as well as 12 passengers. Two passengers could be accommodated in a luxury apartment with a bedroom, living room and facilities, and 10 in twin bedrooms. The ship had a private deck reserved for passengers (separate from the crew), a dining room with views, and two verandas for the smokers. Passenger accommodations were air-conditioned.
Ramb I could reach a speed of 18.50 knots, its cruising speed was 17 knots, and its displacement was 3,667 tons. The propulsion machinery consisted of two two-stroke FIAT diesel engines with nine cylinders.
According to legislative provision, these ships were constructed with the possibility of transforming them into auxiliary cruisers, so there was enough space left on deck to accommodate four 120mm cannons. Cannons and the matériel required for the military upgrade were stored in Massawa for two ships, and in Naples for the other two.
In the two years of peace, Ramb I took bananas from Italian Somaliland to Venice, Naples and Genoa, and carried various goods to Mogadishu on her return journeys.
Operational history
On June 9, 1940, Ramb I was requisitioned in Massawa by the Regia Marina and was made a part of Red Sea Flotilla. At the time of Italy's entry into World War II, only one of four vessels was located in the Mediterranean (Ramb III), while the other three were in the Red Sea without any possibility of returning to Italy. Ramb I was upgraded in Massawa with four 120/40 cannons and two (or four) 13.2mm Breda anti-aircraft guns.
During military operations in Eastern Africa Ramb I was not very active. All her activity amounted to a single and unsuccessful raid in the Red Sea on an enemy merchant in August 1940. Apart from some short patrols along the Eritrea coast, the ship was mainly used for Massawa's anti-aircraft defense against air bombardments.
With the start of Operation Compass in North Africa and the defeat of the Italian troops at Sidi Barrani on 9–12 December 1940, it became clear that it would be impossible for Italian troops in Libya to reach Italian East Africa to break its isolation. The fuel supplies were dwindling and were projected to be exhausted by June 1941.[4] In anticipation of the inevitable fall of the colony, a plan was developed to send as many ships as possible to Japan or occupied France and to destroy all other ships that could not make the journey.[4] Colonial ship Eritrea, Ramb I and Ramb II were among the ships that were sent out to the Far East.
Royal New Zealand Navy light cruiser HMNZSLeander, which had just escorted convoy US-9 to Bombay, was sailing in the northern Arabian Sea searching for the German cruiser Admiral Scheer believed to be in the area, as well as German raider ships disguised as merchants.[5] After receiving news of the fall of Mogadishu on February 25, 1941 captain of the cruiser, Robert Hesketh Bevan, RN changed the course north around 7:00 when Leander was 28 miles north of the equator and 320 miles west of the Maldive Islands. He believed that some Italian ships fleeing from Italian Somaliland and heading to the Far East could travel through this area. At 5:10 (Italian time) on February 27, 1941, Ramb I navigating in the northern Arabian Sea was sighted by Leander. The cruiser closed to less than 6 miles and signaled Ramb I with a projector to stop the engines and provide their documents (the Italian ship flew the British flag at the time).[4]
Ramb I replied with false information, and Leander demanded the secret war code. Not being able to answer this question, Captain Bonezzi came to the conclusion that there was no alternative to fighting. The British flag was lowered and the Italian Tricolor was hoisted, and Ramb I opened fire from 3,000 yards (2,700m) against the enemy cruiser, commencing a fight that lasted twenty minutes. Leander was hit once, and replied with five salvos within the next minute, leaving Ramb I seriously damaged and on fire. She lowered her flag and Leander stopped firing.[5]Leander came closer, and Captain Bonezzi gave an order to abandon and scuttle the ship. Leander rescued Ramb I's captain and 112 men, of whom one later died from burns.[5] The scuttling charges detonated shortly thereafter, causing Ramb I to sink in the position 01°00′N68°30′E / 1.000°N 68.500°E / 1.000; 68.500.[4]Leander disembarked the survivors at Addu Atoll, and the tanker Pearleaf subsequently transported the survivors to prisoner of war camps in Colombo, Ceylon.[4]
Merchant raiders are armed commerce raiding ships that disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels.
The East African campaign was fought in East Africa during the Second World War by Allies of World War II, mainly from the British Empire, against Italy and its colony of Italian East Africa, between June 1940 and November 1941. The British Middle East Command with troops from the United Kingdom, South Africa, British India, Uganda Protectorate, Kenya, Somaliland, West Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, Sudan and Nyasaland participated in the campaign. These were joined by the Allied Force Publique of Belgian Congo, Imperial Ethiopian Arbegnoch and a small unit of Free French Forces.
The Regia Marina (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic, the Regia Marina changed its name to Marina Militare.
HMNZS Leander was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of light ships, the Leander-class light cruiser and was initially named HMS Leander.
The history of the Royal New Zealand Navy leads back to early New Zealand-based gunboats used in controlling the British interests in the new colony, as well as to the strong linkages to the British Navy itself.
The Sauro class were a group of four destroyers built for the Regia Marina in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941.
The Leone class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea, during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign.
The Red Sea Flotilla was part of the Regia Marina Italiana based at Massawa in the colony of Italian Eritrea, part of Italian East Africa. During World War II, the Red Sea Flotilla was active against the East Indies Station of the Royal Navy from the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940 until the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.
The Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb III was built at Genoa by Ansaldo in 1938.
Ramb IV was an Italian hospital ship, built at Monfalcone by the United Yards of the Adriatic in 1938.
The Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II was a pre-war banana boat built at Monfalcone by the CRDA in 1937. She briefly served as an auxiliary cruiser with Regia Marina early in World War II before becoming an auxiliary transport with the Imperial Japanese Navy later in her career.
Eritrea was a colonial ship of the Italian Regia Marina constructed in the Castellammare Shipyards near Napoli. Construction started in 1935 and she was commissioned in 1937. She served mainly in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
The action of 27 February 1941 was a single ship action between the British cruiser HMS Leander and the Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb I. It began when Leander ordered an un-flagged freighter to stop for an inspection. The freighter raised the Italian colours and engaged Leander which sank Ramb I shortly after. Most of the Italian crew were rescued and taken to Addu Atoll, thence to Ceylon. Leander patrolled southwards to investigate more reports of commerce raiders.
The Port of Mogadishu, also known as the Mogadishu International Port, is the official seaport of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Classified as a major class port, it is the largest harbour in the country.
The Attack on Convoy BN 7 was a naval engagement in the Red Sea during the Second World War between a British force defending convoyed merchant ships and a flotilla of Italian destroyers. The Italian attack failed, with only one merchant ship being slightly damaged. After a chase, the British destroyer HMS Kimberley torpedoed the Italian destroyer Francesco Nullo which was beached on Harmil Island. Kimberley was hit, disabled by Italian shore batteries on the island and towed to safety by the cruiser HMS Leander.
Mario Bonetti was an Italian admiral during World War II.
Guglielmotti was a Brin-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy during the 1930s.
The Imperial Line was a flight route of the Italian national airline Ala Littoria between 1935 and 1941 during the Fascist era. It was the longest route in the Italian colonial empire in Africa and "the jewel in Ala Littoria's crown". It connected Rome with Benghazi (Libya), Asmara (Eritrea), Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) and Mogadishu (Somalia). It carried passengers and mail. Italy ultimately lost control of the route during World War II.
The Royal Banana Monopoly was a state-owned enterprise founded in Mogadishu in 1935, to transport and market bananas harvested in Italian Somalia throughout the rest of the Italian Empire, directly under the control of the Colonial Ministry. Even if the last transport of bananas to Italy happened in early 1940, it survived the first years of WW2 – and officially lasted until 1946.
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