Italian hospital ship Ramb IV facts for kids
Ramb IV in 1941
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Italy |
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| Name | Ramb IV |
| Builder | CRDA, Monfalcone |
| Yard number | 1201 |
| Launched | 7 June 1937 Banana boat, |
| Commissioned | 1940 |
| Reclassified | Hospital ship, 1940 |
| Homeport | Massawa, Eritrea |
| Fate | Captured by the British, 10 April 1941 |
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Ramb IV |
| Acquired | 10 April 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk, 10 May 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Hospital ship |
| Tonnage |
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| Length | 383 ft 2 in (116.79 m) |
| Beam | 49 ft 7 in (15.11 m) |
| Depth | 24 ft 8 in (7.52 m) |
| Installed power | 1525 Nhp |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | |
| Capacity |
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| Complement | 120 |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: | Red Sea Flotilla |
The Ramb IV was a special ship built in Italy in 1938. It was the last of four sister ships, meaning they all looked very similar. These ships were originally designed for a unique job: transporting bananas!
They were called "banana boats" and were meant to carry refrigerated bananas from places like Somaliland and Eritrea in Italian East Africa back to Italy. This was for a company called the Royal Banana Monopoly Business.
Contents
From Banana Boat to Warship
The Ramb IV was built to be very flexible. It could be changed into an "auxiliary cruiser" if there was a war. An auxiliary cruiser is a merchant ship that gets armed to help in wartime, often by attacking enemy trade ships.
If it became an auxiliary cruiser, the Ramb IV could carry powerful guns. It was 3,667 tons in size and could travel up to 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h) (about 21 miles per hour).
A Ship of Mercy: The Hospital Ship Role
Instead of becoming a warship, the Ramb IV was turned into a hospital ship for the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina). Hospital ships are painted white with large red crosses. They are used to care for wounded soldiers and sailors. They are protected by international laws and should not be attacked.
The main goal for Ramb IV as a hospital ship was to bring injured Italian soldiers back home from Eritrea. However, this became very difficult because the British controlled the Suez Canal. This meant the ship couldn't easily sail from the Red Sea to Italy.
The work to change the Ramb IV from a banana boat into a hospital ship happened in Massawa, a port in Eritrea. The ship became part of the Italian Navy's Red Sea Flotilla.
Capture and Sinking
During World War II, the British fought in the East African Campaign. When the port of Massawa fell to the British on April 10, 1941, the Ramb IV was captured.
The British then used the ship themselves. It served in the Red Sea and later near Libya. Sadly, on May 10, 1942, German planes bombed the Ramb IV. The ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt.
See also
- Ramb I
- Ramb II
- Ramb III
- Italian Royal Navy - RN Ramb IV and Aquileia
- East African Campaign
