[1] Oceania was built at the Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy and completed in 1933 for Italian Line (Italia Società Anonima di Navigazione) of Genoa.

It was assessed at 19,507 gross register tons (GRT) and had four 8-cylinder FIAT 2 SCAS diesel engines driving four screw propellers.

While sailing in a convoy east of Tripoli, Libya, on 31 August 1941, the sister ships were attacked by the British submarine HMS Upholder.

[3] Oceania and its sister ship were part of another heavily guarded convoy, which left Taranto, Italy bound for Tripoli, while carrying Italian troops for the campaign in Northern Africa.

On 18 September 1941, while 112 kilometres (70 mi) northeast of Tripoli, four submarines laid in wait to attack the convoy as its position had been discovered.