Sella, Sauro, and Turbine under fiscal pressure

The Sella design and its Sauro and Turbine successors came from a postwar Italy that needed ships but had little money and limited infrastructure. Their compact size suited Italian facilities, but their gun armament did not make them well-rounded destroyers. Sella carried three 4.7-inch guns and four 21-inch torpedo tubes, while Sauro and Turbine increased those batteries to four guns and six tubes. The later ships had a credible torpedo salvo against the expected French threat, and the group retained mine-warfare utility. Two Sella-class ships were later sold to Sweden, an early example of Italy finding export customers for compact destroyer designs. The compromise added useful flotilla hulls without creating ships meant to win one-on-one destroyer fights. These choices reflect Italy's weakened strategic and financial position after the First World War.