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USS Wichita (LCS-13)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Wichita.
USS Wichita underway on 9 April 2021
History
United States
NameWichita
NamesakeWichita
Awarded4 March 2013[1]
BuilderMarinette Marine[1]
Laid down9 February 2015[1][2]
Launched17 September 2016
Sponsored byKate Lehrer
Christened17 September 2016
Acquired22 August 2018[3]
Commissioned12 January 2019[4]
HomeportMayport
Identification
MottoKeeper of the Seas
StatusActive
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) full load[5]
Length378.3 ft (115.3 m)
Beam57.4 ft (17.5 m)
Draft13.0 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion2 Rolls-Royce MT30 36 MW gas turbines, 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets
Speed45 knots (52 mph; 83 km/h) (sea state 3)
Range3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)[6]
Endurance21 days (336 hours)
Boats & landing
craft carried		11 m RHIB, 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats
Complement131 Core Crew (Training Ship)
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilitiesFlight Deck, Hangar Bay
NotesElectrical power is provided by 4 Isotta Fraschini V1708 diesel engines with Hitzinger generator units rated at 800 kW each.

USS Wichita (LCS-13) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy,[1] the third ship named after Wichita, the largest city in Kansas.[9]

Design

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In 2002, the U.S. Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[10] The Navy initially ordered two monohull ships from Lockheed Martin, which became known as the Freedom-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Freedom.[10][11] Odd-numbered U.S. Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Freedom-class monohull design, while even-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the trimaran hull Independence-class littoral combat ship from General Dynamics.[10] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[10] Wichita is the seventh Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Wichita includes additional stability improvements over the original Freedom design; the stern transom was lengthened and buoyancy tanks were added to the stern to increase weight service and enhance stability.[12] The ship will also feature automated sensors to allow "conditions-based maintenance" and reduce crew overwork and fatigue issues that Freedom had on her first deployment.[13]

Construction and career

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Wichita being launched on 17 September 2016

The keel laying ceremony was on 9 February 2015, at Marinette, Wisconsin.[2] Sponsored by Kate Lehrer, wife of Wichita native Jim Lehrer, the ship was christened and launched on 17 September 2016.[14][15] The naval crest of the ship incorporates elements of the Wichita flag, along with a bison skull and feathers representing the Native American heritage and wheat to reflect the state of Kansas's main crop.[16] She is assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two. The ship was acquired by the US Navy from Lockheed Martin and the Marinette Marine shipyard on 22 August 2018 along with USS Sioux City (LCS-11) in a double delivery.[3]

On 4 November 2020, Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson and Brigadier General Phillip Frietze signed the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Maritime Campaign Support Plan in a ceremony aboard Wichita at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.[17]

On 25 February 2021, the ship together with Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, detachment 8, was underway to support operations in US Southern Command area of responsibility.[18] On 9 April, Wichita and Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard patrol vessel HMJS Cornwall sailed in formation during a live-fire exercise. During this time, Wichita was deployed to the US 4th Fleet of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which included counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.[19]

On 5 May 2022, Wichita conducted Maritime Interdiction Exercises with the Dominican Navy.[20]

Planned decommissioning and possible reprieve

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It was announced in 2022 that Wichita was one of nine Freedom-class ships that the US Navy was intending to decommission during the 2023 fiscal year,[21] but then on 11 August 2023, the Department of Defense decided that Wichita would undergo a main engine replacement that should save the vessel from early decommissioning. [22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Wichita (LCS-13)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Sparks of Life: Lockheed Martin-Led Team Lays Keel on Nation's Thirteenth Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Sioux City and USS Wichita" (Press release). United States Navy. 23 August 2018. NNS180823-09. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Hundreds attend commissioning of USS Wichita at Naval Station Mayport". 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". America's Navy. US Navy. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  6. ^ "LCS Littoral Combat Ship". Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  7. ^ Mk-46 GWS Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Seaforces.org
  8. ^ Navy Orders Six More General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship MK46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon Systems Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Guns.com, 21 March 2013
  9. ^ "Secretary of the Navy Names Multiple Ships" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  11. ^ O'Rourke, Ronald (4 May 2010). "Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  12. ^ Osborn, Kris (27 June 2014). "Navy Engineers LCS Changes". www.dodbuzz.com. Monster. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  13. ^ Freedberg Jr., Sydney J. (4 April 2014). "Sleepless In Singapore: LCS Is Undermanned & Overworked, Says GAO". breakingdefense.com. Breaking Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Navy launches new USS Wichita combat ship". greatbendpost.com. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  15. ^ Tanner, Beccy (16 September 2016). "USS Wichita will carry some of city's history". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  16. ^ Neil, Denise (2 July 2016). "USS Wichita crest incorporates city flag, heritage". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  17. ^ "U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Commanders Sign Integrated Maritime Campaign Support Plan". United States Marine Corps Flagship. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  18. ^ "USS Wichita Deploys to Support Regional Cooperation and Security". DVIDS. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  19. ^ "USS Wichita and Jamaican Forces Conduct Live-Fire Exercise". U.S. Southern Command. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Wichita Conducts Maritime Interdiction Exercise with Dominican Republic".
  21. ^ LaGrone, Sam (29 March 2022). "All Freedom Littoral Combat Ships in Commission Tapped for Early Disposal". USNI News. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  22. ^ Thomas, Richard (14 August 2023). "USS Wichita gets new engine after just four years' service". Naval Technology. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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