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| History | |
|---|---|
 Italy | |
| Name | Ramb III |
| Builder | Ansaldo,Genoa |
| Launched | 6 March 1938Banana boat |
| Commissioned | 1940 |
| Reclassified | Convoy escort, 1940 |
| Homeport | Massawa,Eritrea |
| Fate | Seized by Germany, 9 September 1943 |
 Germany | |
| Name | Kiebitz |
| Reclassified | Minelayer |
| Fate | Sunk inRijeka harbor, November 1944 |
 SFR Yugoslavia | |
| Name | Galeb |
| Acquired | Refloated, post-war |
| Decommissioned | 1992 |
| Reclassified | Training ship and presidential yacht, 1952 |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Auxiliary cruiser |
| Displacement | 3,667 long tons (3,726 t) |
| Speed | 18.5knots (21.3 mph; 34.3 km/h) |
| Armament |
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The Italianauxiliary cruiserRamb III was built atGenoa byAnsaldo in 1938.
Ramb III was the third of four sisterreefer ships all built to the same design. The other ships were theRamb I, theRamb II, and theRamb IV. The four ships were built for theRoyal Banana Monopoly Business (Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane). These ships were originally built to be "banana boats", built for transporting refrigerated bananas to Europe fromSomaliland andEritrea inItalian East Africa.
However, in the event of war, the design ofRamb III allowed it to be refitted for commerce raiding. She was 3,667 tons displacement, oil powered and capable of 18½ knots.
Ramb III never made it toEast Africa. When Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, she was the only ship in the class in home waters. After being requisitioned by the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina),Ramb III served as a convoy escort. LikeRamb I andRamb II,Ramb III was refitted and armed with two 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and eight 13.2 mm anti-aircraft guns.
On 12 November 1940, during theraid on the Italian port of Taranto, the BritishRoyal Navy detached a cruiser division with accompanying destroyers for a quick swing through the lowerAdriatic Sea. This force found a small convoy of four Italian merchant ships escorted byRamb III and thetorpedo boatNicola Fabrizi. The ships were bound forBrindisi fromVlorë.Ramb III fired 19 salvos in its own defense and succeeded in breaking away without suffering any damage. TheFabrizi stayed with the merchant ships and fought a close action with the British force. As a result, theFabrizi was hit immediately and suffered serious damage. TheFabrizi continued to fight back until being disabled by the cruisers' fire. After theFabrizi was neutralized, the British force sank all four of the Italian merchant vessels.This action took place near the Strait of Otranto.
Ramb III capacity for 2,418 ton of either refrigerated or general cargo[1] saw her involved in convoy activity both to theDodecanese and North Africa during the 1940–1941 winter, in her role of armed transport ship.[2]
On 10 May 1941Ramb III was torpedoed by the British submarineTriumph inBenghazi harbour. She was salvaged by the Italians and towed back toTrieste.
On 9 September 1943Ramb III was seized by German troops atTrieste. Refitted as a minelayer and pressed into the service of theKriegsmarine,Ramb III was renamedKiebitz. As a minelayer she laid over 5,000 mines in theAdriatic Sea until she ran into one of her own mines offAncona. Running astern, she reachedRijeka with no further damage, where Allied aircraft sank her in November 1944. During attempts to put out the fire, two firefighters from Rijeka, Mario Zele and Ulff Angelo Fuzini, died.[3][4]
After the war,Kiebitz was refloated by theBrodospas. She was converted atPula into atraining ship in 1952 and renamedGaleb ("seagull"). Ultimately theGaleb became thepresidentialyacht for PresidentJosip Broz Tito. In this service, with her appearance greatly altered from her original incarnation asRamb III, she served for 40 years. She is in display at thePort of Rijeka as a museum ship.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1941 | |
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