The four ships were built for the Royal Banana Monopoly Business (Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane).

After being requisitioned by the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina), Ramb III served as a convoy escort.

On 12 November 1940, during the raid on the Italian port of Taranto, the British Royal Navy detached a cruiser division with accompanying destroyers for a quick swing through the lower Adriatic Sea.

This force found a small convoy of four Italian merchant ships escorted by Ramb III and the torpedo boat Nicola Fabrizi.

Ramb III capacity for 2,418 ton of either refrigerated or general cargo[1] saw her involved in convoy activity both to the Dodecanese and North Africa during the 1940–1941 winter, in her role of armed transport ship.

In this service, with her appearance greatly altered from her original incarnation as Ramb III, she served for 40 years.