Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") in 1915, she served in World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign, during which she took part in motor torpedo boat raids and operated on convoy escort duty.

[2] At approximately 09:00 on 29 December 1915 Ippolito Nievo, Giuseppe Cesare Abba, and other destroyers departed Brindisi, Italy, with the protected cruiser Nino Bixio and the British Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Weymouth to join other formations of Allied warships in pursuing an Austro-Hungarian Navy force composed of the scout cruiser Helgoland and the destroyers Balaton, Csepel, Lika, Tátra, and Triglav, which had bombarded the harbor at Durrës (known to the Italians as Durazzo) on the coast of Albania, sinking the Greek steamer Mikael and two sailing ships while losing Lika, which struck a mine.

[3] At 23:00 on 22 December 1916 Ippolito Nievo, Giuseppe Cesare Abba, and Rosolino Pilo got underway from Brindisi and headed for Cape Rodoni to intercept the Austro-Hungarian destroyers Dinara, Reka, Scharfschutze, and Velebit, which had attacked the Otranto Barrage in the Strait of Otranto and were returning to the naval base at Cattaro on the coast of Austria-Hungary after a clash with the French Navy destroyers Boutefeu, Casque, Commandant Bory, Commandant Rivière, Dehorter, and Protet.

At 01:40 on 23 December Giuseppe Cesare Abba sighted smoke on her port bow and turned north to investigate, accelerating to full speed.

The Italians aborted the attack when MAS 6 suffered damage in a collision with wreckage 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) from Durrës.

[3] On 11 June 1917 Ippolito Nievo, Rosolino Pilo, and 37 PN departed Brindisi and provided support to an attack against Durrës by nine seaplanes.

[3] On the night of 3–4 September 1917 Ippolito Nievo, Antonio Mosto, Nino Bixio, the British light cruiser HMS Weymouth, and the French destroyers Bisson and Commandant Bory departed Otranto, Italy, to escort six Italian torpedo boats and eight British speedboats that were supposed to carry out a raid against Cattaro.

[3] An Austro-Hungarian Navy force consisting of Helgoland and the destroyers Balaton, Csepel, Lika, Orjen, Tátra, and Triglav left Cattaro on 18 October 1917 to attack Italian convoys.

[3] On 2 October 1918 Ippolito Nievo was at sea with the battleship Dante Alighieri, the scout cruisers Alessandro Poerio, Carlo Alberto Racchia, Cesare Rossarol, and Gulglielmo Pepe and the destroyer Simone Schiaffino to provide distant cover for a British and Italian naval bombardment of Durrës.

Her commanding officers during this period included the Capitani di fregata (Frigate Captains) Franco Garofalo and Gino Pavesi, both future admirals.