These ships were built for the Royal Banana Monopoly Business (Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane) and originally intended to be "banana boats", transporting refrigerated bananas to Europe from Somaliland and Eritrea in Italian East Africa.
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Massawa, Ramb Is home port, became threatened by advancing British and Commonwealth forces.
Along with Eritrea and Ramb I, Ramb II slipped through a British blockade off Perim and sailed into the Indian Ocean on 20 February 1941.