Jantina was one of seven Argonauta-class submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the early 1930s.

[2] For surface running, the boats were powered by two 750-brake-horsepower (559 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft.

They were also armed with a single 102-millimeter (4 in) deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface.

[2] Jantina was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando at their Muggiano shipyard in 1930, launched on 15 June 1932 and completed the following year.

[2] During the Spanish Civil War, she made one patrol off Barcelona on 12–27 August 1937 during which she unsuccessfully attacked a Republican destroyer with a pair of torpedoes.