Wichita-class cruiser

USS Wichita (CA-45), 22 April 1942
Class overview
Preceded by:	New Orleans-class cruiser; hull derived from Brooklyn class
Succeeded by:	Baltimore-class cruiser
Planned:	1
Completed:	1
Retired:	1
History
United States
Name:	Wichita
Namesake:	City of Wichita, Kansas
Laid down:	28 October 1935
Launched:	16 November 1937
Commissioned:	16 February 1939
Decommissioned:	3 February 1947
Struck:	1 March 1959
Fate:	Sold for scrapping, 14 August 1959
General characteristics
Class and type:	Wichita-class heavy cruiser
Displacement:	Standard: 10,589 long tons (10,759 t) Full load: 13,015 long tons (13,224 t)
Length:	608 ft 4 in (185.42 m)
Beam:	61 ft 9 in (18.82 m)
Draft:	23 ft 9 in (7.24 m)
Installed power:	8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 100,000 shp (75 MW)
Propulsion:	4 × Parsons steam turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range:	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Crew:	929 officers and enlisted
Armament:	9 × 8 in /55 Mk 12 guns 8 × 5 in /38 Mk 12 guns 24 × Bofors 40mm guns (4×4, 8×2) 18 × Oerlikon 20mm cannon
Armor:	Belt armor: 6.4 in (160 mm) Deck: 2.25 in (57 mm) Turrets: 8 in (200 mm) Conning tower: 6 in (150 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × scout planes
Aviation facilities:	2 × catapults

USS Wichita (CA-45) was a unique heavy cruiser of the United States Navy built in the 1930s. The last American cruiser designed to meet the limits of 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 (200 mm) gun turrets. These were instead placed on an improved hull derived from the Brooklyn-class light cruisers, with increased armoring. This design would go on to form the basis for the later World War II-era heavy cruisers such as the Baltimore-class cruisers. The ship was authorized by the 1929 Cruiser Act, laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in October 1935, launched in November 1937, and commissioned into the US Navy in February 1939.

Following her commissioning, Wichita was assigned to neutrality patrols in the Atlantic. After the United States entered World War II, the ship saw heavy service throughout the conflict. She was first assigned to convoy escort duty on the Murmansk Run in early 1942, and supported 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. In 1943, Wichita 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.