A lecture dedicated to the motor yacht "Galeb" has aroused much interest

Rijeka, 5 October 2010
A very interesting lecture dedicated to the destiny of the motor yacht "Galeb" was held at the Rijeka city hall, where the history of the yacht was presented from the period of construction until the present. The lecture was given by Alberto Guglia, machine engineer and university professor from Trieste, who revealed some new facts, unknown to date, documented by photographs of the yacht.

The lecture given by Alberto Guglia M.d.L. "La Ramb III: Da Bananiera a Incrociatore a Yacht oltre settant'anni di vita sul mare" (Ramb III: From a Banana Boat to a Cruiser and a Yacht, over Seventy Years of Life at Sea") started by presenting the introductory part about the establishment of the company Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane (RAMB) in 1936, the company that requested the construction of overall four ships at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, among which was the present m/y Galeb, at that time named RAMB III. This was supported by the facts about the project and construction of the four ships, in particular relating to the hull and the characteristics of the engine.

Guglia also talked about the activities of the ship before and during the second world war, namely about the voyages of the RAMB-u III across the Mediterranean Sea and the strategic operations of Italian and English forces during the war, the sojourn of the ship in the port of Bengasi, Libya, when she was hit by a torpedo launched from the British submarine HMS Triumph and the activities of her voyage in reverse long 926 nautical miles back to Brindisi from which she was towed to the shipyard San Marco in Trieste.

The Germans seized the Trieste shipyard, after the Italian armistice in 1943, and their intention was to use the ship to transport their troops, however after the ship had been restored it was refitted to serve as a minelayer named Kiebitz. Alberto Guglia mentioned the fact that additional mine laying rails had been fitted, as well as additional anti-aircraft artillery, he talked about the use of the ship in that function, mentioning important dates such as 25 July1943, 8 and 9 September 1943 and the ship's tragic sinking on 5 November 1944 in the port of Rijeka when she was hit by Allied Aircraft.

The rescuing of the ship started in 1947, when the ship was pulled out of the sea by Brodospas, a company based in Split and partially disassembled and reconstructed at the Pula shipyard. The lecture included the period of service for the German Navy, and finally her transformation into a training ship "Mornar" (seaman), to be later renamed "Galeb" (seagull), becoming ultimately the presidential yacht used by President Josip Broz Tito and for presidential voyages. The lecture followed the ship's destiny after 1980 and her present conditions, in particular as regards the engine room as museum value.

Among the audience that very carefully listened to the lecture there were those who spent part of their military service aboard the "Galeb". Among them was also Dušan Milić who sailed aboard the "Galeb" from 1955 to 1961 as chief engineer. Milić published a book about this experience in a private edition and gave it as a present to professor Giuglia.