Wichita Class Heavy Cruiser Summary

USS Wichita was a unique heavy cruiser of the United States Navy built in the 1930s and was the last American cruiser designed to meet the limits of the London Naval Treaty. She was originally intended to be a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, accordingly with the maximum main armament of three triple 8-inch (203 mm) gun turrets. These were instead placed on an improved hull derived from the Brooklyn-class light cruisers, with increased armor. This design would go on to form the basis for the later World War II–era heavy cruisers such as the Baltimore class.

Wichita was laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 28 October 1935, and commissioned into the US Navy in February 1939. By the time she was completed, in February 1938, Wichita was nearly over the 10,000-ton limit; as a result, she was completed with only two of the eight 5-inch guns to keep her under the displacement restriction. When the rest of the 5-inch guns were installed, it was found that the ship was too top-heavy, and so 200.4 long tons (203.6 t) of pig iron had to be added to her bottom to balance the cruiser.

By August 1945, the ship had been equipped with numerous smaller guns for close-range anti-aircraft defense. Sixteen Bofors 40 mm guns were placed in quadruple mounts, and another eight were in dual mounts. She also carried eighteen Oerlikon 20 mm guns in single mountings. The 40 mm guns had a ceiling of 22,800 ft (6,900 m) at 90 degrees elevation and a maximum rate of fire of 160 rounds per minute. The 20 mm gun had a rate of fire of 465–480 rounds per minute; they had a ceiling of 10,000 ft (3,000 m). By the end of the war, the ship was armed with a variety of fire control systems for her guns, including Mark 34 fire control gear and Mark 13 and Mark 28 fire control radars.

Following her commissioning, Wichita was assigned to neutrality patrols in the Atlantic and saw heavy service throughout WW2. She was first assigned to convoy escort duty on the Murmansk Run in early 1942, participated in the Occupation of Iceland in July 42, and supported the amphibious landings during Operation Torch in November 1942. During the Naval Battle of Casablanca, Wichita engaged several French coastal batteries and warships, including the battleship Jean Bart. She was damaged by a shore battery but remained on station. After repairs in 1943 she was transferred to the Pacific theater, where she remained for the rest of the war. 

She frequently provided antiaircraft defense for the Fast Carrier Task Force during operations in the central Pacific, including the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf in 1944. During the latter engagement, Wichita assisted in the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier Chiyoda. Wichita was heavily engaged during the invasion of Okinawa, where she provided heavy gunfire support to ground troops ashore. After the Japanese surrender, the ship served as part of the occupation force in Japan and assisted in the repatriation of American military personnel under Operation Magic Carpet. After returning to the United States, she was decommissioned and placed in the "mothball" fleet in 1947. She remained in reserve until 1959, when she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and sold for scrapping in August 1959

Ships of Class:

• Wichita

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