Sella (class)

Conventionally-Powered Destroyer Warship (1926)

Naval Warfare

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The Quintino Sella-class, numbering four total ships, was in commission from 1926 until World War 2 in the 1940s.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/25/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

The Kingdom of Italy managed a considerable naval force by the time of World War 2 (1939-1945). One part of its prewar inventory became the Sella-class, a destroyer warship design that served the Regia Marina from 1926 until the middle of the 1940s. Four total ships were completed to the class design standard and these included Francesco Crispi, Quintino Sella, Bettino Ricasoli, and Giovanni Nicotera. Of the four ships, two (Francesco Crispi, Quintino Sella) saw combat service in the Second World War while two (Bettino Ricasoli, Giovanni Nicotera) were sold off to the Swedish Navy to continue their careers (ending before 1950).

The class was limited by their design with issues centering mainly on the installed power - encompassing 2 x Parsons geared-steam turbines developing 36,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts under stern. As built, they displaced 970 tons under standard loads and 1,500 tons under full loads. Length was 293.3 feet with a beam measuring 28.2 feet and a draught down to 8.9 feet. Performance-wise, the ships could reach speeds of 35 knots, making them quite fast for their day, and range out to 1,800 nautical miles.

Aboard was a crew complement of 153. Installed armament became 4 x 120mm (4.7") guns in two twin-gunned turrets, 2 x 40mm /39 Pom-Pom Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns, 2 x 13.2mm heavy machine guns, and 4 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes in twin-tubed mountings. In addition to this, the class was cleared to carry up to 32 naval mines.

Quintini Sella was completed in late-March of 1926 and was sunk on September 11th, 1943 in the Adriatic Sea by attacking German E-boats - this after the Italian surrender to the Allies.

Francesco Crispi was completed in late-April of 1927 and led an operational life into World War 2. She was taken over by the Germans in September of 1943 following the Italian surrender. In German service, she served as TA15 and was sunk by aerial bombs on March 8th, 1944 in the Aegean Sea.

On December 11th, 1926, Bettino Ricasoli was commission for service. She was sold off to the Swedish Navy to become HSwMS Puke. Giovanni Nicotera, commissioned for service on January 8th, 1927, similarly joined the Swedish Navy ranks as HSwMS Psilander.

Despite their issues, the Sella-class group was instrumental in forging the framework for near-future destroyer-type warships to eventually serve the Italian Navy in World War 2.

Specifications

Service Year

1926

Origin

Kingdom of Italy

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

153
PERSONNEL

Class

Quintino Sella-class

Number-in-Class

4
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

Francesco Crispi; Quintino Sella; Bettino Ricasoli; Giovanni Nicotera

Kingdom of Italy

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

Length

293.3 ft
89.40 m

Beam

28.2 ft
8.60 m

Draught

8.9 ft
2.71 m

Displacement

1,000
tons

Installed Power: 3 x Boiler units feeding 2 x Parsons geared-steam turbines developing 36,000 horsepower and driving 2 x Shafts.

Surface Speed

35.0 kts
(40.3 mph)

Range

1,799 nm
(2,070 mi | 3,331 km)

4 x 4.7" (120mm) /45 caliber main guns in two twin-gunned turrets.

2 x 40mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns in single mountings.

2 x 13.2mm AA heavy machine guns in single mountings.

2 x 533mm (21") double-torpedo launchers.

Also up to 32 naval mines carried.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a historical warship turreted main gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

None.

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