Italian destroyer Quintino Sella

Quintino Sella was the lead ship of her class of four destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the 1920s. Completed in 1926, she served in World War II.

History
Kingdom of Italy
Name: Quintino Sella
Namesake: Quintino Sella
Builder: Pattinson, Naples
Laid down: 12 October 1922
Launched: 25 April 1925
Completed: 25 March 1926
Fate: Sunk by torpedo, 11 September 1943
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type: Sella-class destroyer
Displacement:
Length: 84.9 m (278 ft 7 in)
Beam: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Installed power:
  • 3 Thornycroft boilers
  • 36,000 shp (27,000 kW)
Propulsion: 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range: 3,600 nmi (6,700 km; 4,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 152–153
Armament:

Design and description

The Sella-class destroyers were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding Palestro and Curtatone classes.[1] They had an overall length of 84.9 meters (279 ft), a beam of 8.6 meters (28 ft 3 in) and a mean draft of 2.7 meters (8 ft 10 in). They displaced 970 metric tons (950 long tons) at standard load, and 1,480 metric tons (1,460 long tons) at deep load. Their complement was 8–9 officers and 144 enlisted men.[2]

The Sellas were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were rated at 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) for a speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) in service,[3] although Quintino Sella reached a speed of 37.3 knots (69.1 km/h; 42.9 mph) from 35,090 shp (26,170 kW) during her sea trials while lightly loaded.[4] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[5]

Their main battery consisted of four 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns in one twin-gun turret aft of the superstructure and one single-gun turret forward of it.[2] Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Sella-class ships was provided by a pair of 40-millimeter (1.6 in) AA guns in single mounts amidships and a pair of 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns. They were equipped with four 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes in two twin mounts amidships.[3] The Sellas could also carry 32 mines.[2]

Construction and career

Quintino Sella was laid down by Pattinson at their Naples shipyard on 12 October 1922, launched on 25 April 1925 and commissioned on 25 March 1926.[5]

Citations
  1. Whitley, p. 160
  2. Fraccaroli, p. 43
  3. Gardiner & Chesneau, p. 298
  4. McMurtrie, p. 281
  5. Whitley, p. 159

Bibliography
  • Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Fraccaroli, Aldo (1968). Italian Warships of World War II. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0002-6.
  • Greene, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro (1998). The Naval War in the Mediterranean, 1940–1943. London: Chatam Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-057-4.
  • McMurtrie, Francis E., ed. (1937). Jane's Fighting Ships 1937. London: Sampson Low. OCLC 927896922.
  • O'Hara, Vincent P. (2009). Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-648-3.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

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