Italian auxiliary cruiserRamb II

History
Kingdom of Italy
Name	Ramb II(1937-May 1941) Calitea II(May 1941-September 1943)
Owner	Italian Government
Operator	Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane
Builder	C.R.D.A.,Monfalcone
Yard number	1181
Laid down	December 14, 1936
Launched	June 7, 1937
Commissioned	September 6, 1937
Reclassified	Auxiliary cruiser,1940
Homeport	Genoa
Identification	Italyofficial number2169 Call signICHN
Fate	Scuttled by her crew inKobeharbor, 8 September 1943 later refloated by Japanese, 1943
Empire of Japan
Name	Ikutagawa Maru
Acquired	1943
Commissioned	30 November 1943
In service	3 October 1943
Stricken	5 February 1945
Identification	Call signJXBY
Fate	Sunk, 12 January 1945
General characteristics
Type	Refrigerated cargo ship (June 1937 - April 1940) (December 1941 - January 1945) Auxiliary cruiser (April 1940 - May 1941)
Tonnage	3,685GRT 2,190NRT
Length	383 ft 2 in (116.79 m)
Beam	49 ft 9 in (15.16 m)
Depth	24 ft 8 in (7.52 m)
Installed power	1193Nhp
Propulsion	2 × 7-cylinderCRDAmarine Diesel engines twinscrews
Speed	18knots(21 mph; 33 km/h)
Capacity	2,424 tons 12 passengers
Complement	120
Armament	4 ×120 mm (4.7 in) guns 2 ×13.2 mm (0.52 in) anti-aircraft guns
Service record
Part of:	Red Sea Flotilla

The Italianauxiliary cruiserRamb IIwas apre-warbanana boatbuilt atMonfalconeby theCRDAin 1937. She briefly served as an auxiliary cruiser withRegia Marinaearly in World War II before becoming an auxiliary transport with theImperial Japanese Navylater in her career.

Details and construction

In the second half of the 1930s,Ministry of the Coloniesof theKingdom of Italyplaced an order for four ships to transport bananas fromMogadishuinItalian SomalilandtoNaples.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 theRegia Azienda Monopolio Banane(RAMB) with headquarters in Rome. Two, includingRamb IIwere built byCRDAatMonfalcone,and two at theAnsaldoshipyards inSestri Ponente.Ramb IIwas laid down on December 14, 1936, launched on June 7, 1937, and delivered to Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane (RAMB) on September 6, 1937.

RAMB II being launched at Monfalcone (1937).

Medium-small but very modern vessels for the era, the four RAMBs could carry approximately 2,400 tons of cargo, as well as twelve passengers. Two passengers could be accommodated in a luxury apartment with a bedroom, living room and facilities, and ten 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.

As built, the ship was 383 feet 2 inches (116.79 m) long (between perpendiculars) and 49 feet 9 inches (15.16 m)abeam,ameandraftof 24 feet 8 inches (7.52 m).RAMB IIwas assessed at 3,685GRTand 2,190NRT.The vessel had a steel hull, and was propelled by two 2-stroke single-cycle single-actingdiesel engines,each one of seven cylinders of22+1⁄16inches (56.0 cm) diameter by33+1⁄16inches (84.0 cm) stroke, that drove two screw propellers and moved the ship at up to 18.0 knots (20.7 mph; 33.3 km/h).

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 four120 mm (4.7 in)cannons. Cannons and the matériel required for the military upgrade were stored inMassawafor two ships, and inNaplesfor the other two.

Service

During the two years of peaceRamb IItransported bananas from Italian Somaliland toVenice,NaplesandGenoa,and carried various goods toMogadishuon her return journeys. On August 7, 1938, while in Trieste, there was an explosion on board the ship, killing eight men.

On April 9, 1940, she was requisitioned by theRegia Marinaand converted into an auxiliary cruiser. The refitting work took place at theEritreanport ofMassawa.After conversion, she was armed with four120/40cannons and two13.2 mm Bredaanti-aircraft guns.WithItaly's entry intoWorld War IIon June 10, 1940,Ramb IIbecame a part of the Italian Navy'sRed Sea Flotilla.

During her short career as an auxiliary cruiser,Ramb IInever ventured out and remained berthed in Massawa due to lack of allied merchant traffic and significant presence ofRoyal Navyin the Red Sea.

With the start ofOperation CompassinNorth Africaand the defeat of the Italian troops atSidi Barranion 9–12 December 1940, it became clear that it would be impossible for Italian troops inLibyato reachItalian East Africato break its isolation. The fuel supplies were dwindling and were projected to be exhausted by June 1941.In anticipation of the inevitable fall of the colony, a plan was developed to send as many ships as possible toJapanor occupiedFranceand to destroy all other ships that could not make the journey.Colonial shipEritrea,Ramb IIandRamb Iwere among the ships that were sent out to the Far East.

Ramb IIleftMassawaon 22 February 1941,afterRamb IandEritreawhich departed earlier, with bothauxiliary cruisersheading toNagasaki,andEritreatoKobe.After departing fromMassawa,all three ships first passed byPerimevading the Royal Navy ships and Royal Air Force aircraft based atAdenandSocotra,then theBab el-MandebStrait and theGulf of Adenand entered theIndian Ocean. On 27 February 1941Ramb Iwas intercepted and sunk by cruiserHMNZSLeander,but the other two vessels sailed across theIndian Oceanand theSunda Seaand safely arrived in Japan.

Ramb IIreachedKobeon 23 March 1941.The Italian government wanted to use the ship as acommerce raideragainst British merchant traffic in theIndian Ocean,however, since Japan was still neutral, the Japanese government was opposed to the idea of an Italian raider operating from the Japanese ports. The next day the vessel departed Kobe and dismounted her armament in international waters, and then returned to Japan.Her name was changed toCalitea IIin May 1941 and the ship was transferred to the Triestine Line.Ramb IIthen sailed toTianjin,where she like other Italian merchant vessels was visited by Admiral Carlo Balsamo, a naval attache in Tokyo, who was inspecting ships available to carry natural rubber from the Far East to occupied France.Calitea IIwas not selected for the task due to her limited available cargo space for such a long journey.In December 1941Calitea IIwas chartered by the Japanese government as a cargo vessel, while retaining her Italian crew.

She was officially chartered into the Imperial Japanese Navy as a stores ship in September 1942 and underwent additional refrigeration construction at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard.Calitea IIdeparted for her first trip on November 30, 1942, from Kobe to Southeast Asia, arriving inSurabayaon December 23.The vessel was engaged in inter-island service throughout 1943, carrying supplies and troops when necessary. The ship returned to Kobe for repairs on August 24, 1943. AfterItalysignedArmistice of Cassibileon September 8, 1943, her Italian crew scuttled the ship at Kobe to prevent the vessel from falling into Japanese hands.

In Japanese service

Calitea IIwas refloated by the Japanese, and on October 3, 1943 renamedIkutagawa Maruand assigned call sign JXBY. On November 30, 1943, she was officially registered as an auxiliary transport ship. After completing her repairs in December, she proceeded toSasebo,where she became part of theSouthwest Area Fleet.

Ikutagawa Marudeparted Moji for her first mission under the Japanese flag on January 7, 1944, as part of convoy No. 127 consisting of seven other merchant vessels, and destroyerKarukayaand minesweeperW-27serving as escorts. On January 10, 1944, US submarineSeawolfsighted and attacked the convoy in the approximate position27°32′N127°25′Esinking three vessels.

Throughout 1944 the ship continued carrying supplies throughout the island ports of South East Asia, such asMakassar,Surabaya,Ambonand others. On November 4, 1944, she ran aground just off Cape Agal but managed to refloat herself a few hours later and arrive safely atBanggi Island.On January 5, 1945,Ikutagawa MarudepartedManilaescorted by destroyersMomiandHinoki.Next day, the convoy was attacked by the US destroyerBennion,who damagedHinoki,temporarily disabling her, and forcing both Japanese destroyers to retreat to Manila, whileIkutagawa Marucontinued on toCap Saint-Jacques.

On January 12, 1945, as part of "Operation Gratitude"designed to support the liberation of Luzon in the Philippines, US Navy airplanes ofTask Force 38launched massive air strikes on ports, airfields and other military installations of Indochina, mainly located in and aroundSaigon.During the attack,Ikutagawa Marualong with several other vessels was sunk in the approximate position10°20′N107°50′E.

Bibliography

• Alton, Dave (2006). "Question 15/03: Italian Warship Losses".Warship International.XLIII(1): 32–33.ISSN0043-0374.
• Dupuis, Dobrillo (2014).Forzate il blocco. 1940. L'odissea della marina militare italiana.Res Gestae.ISBN978-8866970606.