Quintino Sella was the lead ship of her class of four destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the 1920s.

[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).

[2] 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] In the afternoon of 11 September 1943 during Operation Achse, at 4:50 p.m., S 54 stopped the Italian steamer Pontinia (715 GRT) about 30 nm south of Venice and she was taken as a prize.

A total of 27 crew members of the ship perished, but also many of the 300 civilians from Venice, which Quintino Sella had on board.