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{{Short description|World War II auxiliary cruiser}}
{{one source|date=November 2012}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:RAMB I varo2.jpg|300px|RAMB I]]
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Kingdom of Italy]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|Ship name=''Ramb I''
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo]], [[Genoa]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number= 308
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down= October 29, 1936
|Ship launched= July 22, 1937
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed= 
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= December 6, 1937 (as a merchant)
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=[[Merchant raider|Auxiliary cruiser]], June 9, 1940
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification = *Italy [[official number]] 2176
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]] ICHM
*{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Mike}}
|Ship registry=[[Genoa]]
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{HMNZS|Leander}}, 27 February 1941
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship type=*[[Reefer ship|Refrigerated cargo ship]] (1937–1940)
*[[Merchant raider|Auxiliary cruiser]] (1940–1941)
|Ship tonnage= *{{GRT|3667}}<ref name=lloyds>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/40/40a0770.pdf |year=1940 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |volume=I Steamships and Motorships or 300 Tons, Trawlers, Tugs, Dredgers, etc. |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |at=RAH–RAM |via=[[Southampton City Council]]}}</ref>
*{{NRT|2179}}<ref name=lloyds/>
|Ship length={{cvt|383|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=lloyds/>
|Ship beam={{cvt|49|ft|7|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=lloyds/>
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship depth={{cvt|24|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}<ref name=lloyds/>
|Ship power= 1525 [[nhp]]<ref name=lloyds/>
|Ship propulsion=*2 × 9-cylinder [[Fiat S.p.A.|FIAT]] [[Marine propulsion#Diesel|marine Diesel engines]]<ref name=lloyds/>
*twin [[Propeller|screws]]
|Ship speed= *{{convert|18.5|kn|lk=in}} (maximum)
*{{convert|17.0|kn|lk=in}} (cruising)
|Ship range= 
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=*2,418 GRT{{clarification needed|reason=Contradicts GRT figure elsewhere in this template|date=November 2022}}
*12 passengers
|Ship complement=120
|Ship Passengers=12
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[QF 4.7-inch Gun Mk I–IV|{{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns]]
*2(or 4) × [[Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun|{{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} anti-aircraft guns]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label= 
|partof=[[Red Sea Flotilla]]
|codes=
|commanders=Alfredo Bonezzi
|operations=
|victories=
|awards=
}}
|}
The [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Italian]] ship '''''Ramb I''''' was a [[Interwar period|pre-war]] "[[banana boat (ship)|banana boat]]" converted to an [[auxiliary cruiser]] in [[World War II]].  ''Ramb I'' operated as an armed merchant in the [[Red Sea]] and was ordered to sail to Japan after the fall of [[Massawa]] to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. She was sunk in the [[Indian Ocean]] before she could reach her intended destination.<ref>Miller, 1995, p. 140</ref><ref>Kelly & Laycock, 2015, p. 148</ref>

==Details and construction==
In the second half of the 1930s [[Ministry of the Colonies (Italy)|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 [[Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico|CRDA]] at [[Monfalcone]], and two, including ''Ramb I'', at the [[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|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 S.p.A.|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 [[QF 4.7-inch Gun Mk I–IV|120/40]] cannons and two (or four) 13.2&nbsp;mm [[Breda Model 1931 machine gun|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.<ref name=d1>Dupuis, 2014, pp. 24–26</ref> 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.<ref name=d1/> Colonial ship [[Italian sloop Eritrea|''Eritrea'']], ''Ramb I'' and [[Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II|''Ramb II'']] were among the ships that were sent out to the Far East.

''Ramb I'', [[Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II|''Ramb II'']] and  [[Italian sloop Eritrea|''Eritrea'']] left [[Massawa]] around February 20, 1941, with both [[auxiliary cruisers]] heading to [[Nagasaki]], and [[Italian sloop Eritrea|''Eritrea'']] to [[Kobe]].<ref name=d1/>
After departing from [[Massawa]], all three ships first passed by [[Perim]] evading the Royal Navy ships and Royal Air Force aircraft based at [[Aden]] and [[Socotra]], then the [[Bab el-Mandeb]] Strait and the [[Gulf of Aden]] and entered the [[Indian Ocean]].<ref name=d1/>

===Sinking===
{{main|Action of 27 February 1941}}

[[Image:Ramb1.jpg|left|thumb|233 px|Italian ship ''Ramb I'' sinking in 1941]]

[[Royal New Zealand Navy]] light cruiser {{HMNZS|Leander}}, which had just escorted convoy US-9 to [[Bombay]], was sailing in the northern Arabian Sea searching for the German cruiser [[German cruiser Admiral Scheer|''Admiral Scheer'']] believed to be in the area, as well as German raider ships disguised as merchants.<ref name=w1/> 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 [[Maldives|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).<ref name=d1/>

''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 {{convert|3000|yd|m}} 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.<ref name=w1>Waters, 2008, pp. 21–22</ref> ''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.<ref name=w1/> The scuttling charges detonated shortly thereafter, causing ''Ramb I'' to sink in the position {{Coord|01|00|N|68|30|E}}.<ref name=d1/> ''Leander'' disembarked the survivors at [[Addu Atoll]], and the tanker ''Pearleaf'' subsequently transported the survivors to prisoner of war camps in [[Colombo]], [[Ceylon]].<ref name=d1/>

==See also==
* [[Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II|''Ramb II'']]
* [[Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb III|''Ramb III'']]
* [[Italian hospital ship Ramb IV|''Ramb IV'']]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite journal |last=Alton |first=Dave |title=Question 15/03: Italian Warship Losses |journal=Warship International |date=2006 |volume=XLIII |issue=1 |pages=32–33 |issn=0043-0374}}
*{{cite book |last=Dupuis |first=Dobrillo |year=2014 |title=Forzate il blocco. 1940. L'odissea della marina militare italiana |publisher=Res Gestae |isbn=978-8866970606}}
*{{cite book |last1=Kelly |first1=Christopher |last2=Laycock |first2=Stuart |year=2015 |title=Italy Invades |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3rqACwAAQBAJ&pg=PT148 |place= |publisher=Book Publishers Network |isbn=978-0-9968825-0-7}}
* {{cite book |first=Nathan |last=Miller |year=1995 |title=War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II |place=New York, Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-511038-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Waters |first=SD |year=2008 |title=HMNZS Leander |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1435758926}}

==External links==
* [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/inc_aus/ramb_I_inc_aus.aspx Ramb I] Marina Militare website

{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{WWII Italian ships}}
{{February 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|1|0|N|68|30|E|display=title}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Italian auxiliary cruiser ''Ramb I''}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramb 1}}
[[Category:Cruisers of the Regia Marina]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of Italy]]
[[Category:Auxiliary cruisers of the Regia Marina]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1941]]
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Genoa]]
[[Category:Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.]]
[[Category:Ships of the Royal Banana Monopoly]]

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