Sella-class destroyer

The Sella class destroyers were a ship class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after the Italian capitulation to the Allies. Two more ships were sold to the Swedish Navy in 1940 and were scrapped in the late 1940s.

These ships formed the basis for most subsequent destroyers built by the Italians, but were disappointing in service with unreliable machinery.

During the War, the destroyers were based at the island of Leros, in the Dodecanese. They took part in the Italian retaking of Kastelorizo (named Operation Abstention by the British) on 27 February 1941, and were used as mother ships for the attack by explosive motor boats on HMS York (90) on 25 March.

Ships
All four ships were built by the Pattison shipyard in Naples


 * ITALIAN DESTROYER Francesco Crispi -
 * Named after Francesco Crispi,
 * completed 29 April 1927,
 * seized by the Germans after the Italian Armistice in September 1943, served as the TA15, sunk by air attack on 8 March 1944 in the Aegean Sea.


 * ITALIAN DESTROYER Quintino Sella -
 * Named after Quintino Sella,
 * completed 25 March 1926,
 * sunk by German E-Boats on 11 September 1943 in the Adriatic Sea.


 * ITALIAN DESTROYER Bettino Ricasoli -
 * Named after Bettino Ricasoli,
 * commissioned 11 December 1926.
 * Sold to the Swedish Navy as HMS Puke (19).


 * ITALIAN DESTROYER Giovanni Nicotera -
 * Named after Giovanni Nicotera,
 * commissioned 8 January 1927.
 * Sold to the Swedish Navy as the HMS Psilander (18).