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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

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