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Sella (class)

1926 WORLD WAR 2

Sierra (Class) Story

The Kingdom of Italy managed a large naval force during World War II (1939-1945). Part of her pre-war inventory became the Sella-class, a devastating warship design that served at Regia Docks from 1926 to the mid-1940s. A total of four ships were completed by class standard, including Francesco Crispi, Quintino Sella, Bettino Ricasoli and Giovanni Nicotera.

Of the four ships, two (Francesco Crispi, Quintino Sella) served during World War II, while two (Bettino Ricasoli, Giovanni Nicotera) were sold to the Swedish Navy to continue their careers (until 1950).

This class is limited by its design, and the issue is mostly about installed power - it includes 2 x Parsons geared steam turbines rated at 36,000 hp and 2 x stern shafts. When built, they displace 970 tons under standard load and 1,500 tons under full load. The length is 293.3 feet, the beam is 28.2 feet, and the draft is 8.9 feet.

In terms of performance, these boats can reach speeds of up to 35 knots, making them fairly fast in a day, with a range of up to 1,800 nautical miles.

There are 153 crew members on board. Mounted armament includes 4 x 120 mm (4.7 in) guns and two twin turrets, 2 x 40 mm/39 pom-pom anti-aircraft (AA) guns, 2 x 13 2 mm machine guns and 4 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes The launch tube is mounted on a double tube bracket.

Additionally, this class is approved for the transport of up to 32 mines.

Quintini Sella was completed in March 1926 and was sunk by German E-boats in the Adriatic Sea on September 11, 1943 - after Italy surrendered to the Allies.

Francesco Crispi was completed in late April 1927 and served throughout World War II. After Italy surrendered in September 1943, it was taken over by the Germans. While serving in Germany, she served as a TA15 and was sunk by an aerial bomb in the Aegean Sea on March 8, 1944.

On December 11, 1926, Bettino Ricasoli was commissioned into service. She was sold to the Swedish Navy and became HSwMS Puke. Giovanni Nicotera entered service on 8 January 1927, also entering the Swedish Navy as HSwMS Psilander.

Despite the problems, the Sella-class group was instrumental in creating the framework for the near future destroyer-type warships that would eventually serve the Italian Navy in World War II.