USS Wichita (AOR-1)

Replenishment Oiler / Fleet Support Ship [ 1969 ]

Though currently mothballed, the USS Wichita operated in the Vietnam War and earned her crews four battle stars for her service.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/19/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The USS Wichita was a replenishment oiler and operated in support of fleet operations during her time. She was the second ship to be named after the US city and the first of her Wichita-class fleet support ships to see service. She was later joined by the USS Milwaukee, USS Kansas City, USS Savannah, USS Wabash, USS Kalamazoo and the USS Roanoke. She is no longer in active service with the United States Navy.

After traversing from her construction grounds and through the Panama Canal, the USS Wichita made berth at her home port in Long Beach, California, USA. She was later put into action in support of ships in the Vietnam War, to which she earned her crew several awards including battle stars (4) and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the latter for replenishing some 23 ships in a single day. She made no less than three deployments to the region during the conflict and also served as crew readiness trainer and ambassador to various ports in Canada and South America. She primarily served with the 7th Fleet in the Pacific during her time on the seas.©MilitaryFactory.com

Her armament consisted of twin Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems for anti-missile/anti-aircraft defense. This was further supplemented by the addition of a single Sea Sparrow Mk 29 surface-to-air missile launchers. The USS Wichita could also support up to 2 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters for various roles when called upon.

The USS Wichita was first ordered in 1965 and laid down the following year. She was launched in 1968 and officially commission a year later. She was officially decommissioned in 1993 and her name struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1995. The vessel is currently in mothball status at Suisun Bay, California.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1969

Origin

United States

Complement

420
PERSONNEL

Class

Wichita-class

Number-in-Class

7
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

USS Wichita (AOR 1); USS Milwaukee (AOR 2); USS Kansas City (AOR 3); USS Savannah (AOR 4); USS Wabash (AOR 5); USS Kalamazoo (AOR 6); USS Roanoke (AOR 7)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

Length

659.0 ft
200.86 m

Beam

96.0 ft
29.26 m

Draught

35.0 ft
10.67 m

Displacement

40,100
tons

Installed Power: 3 x boilers feeding steam turbines developing 32,000 horsepower to 2 x shafts.

Surface Speed

20.0 kts
(23.0 mph)

2 x Phalanx CIWS

1 x Sea Sparrow Mk 29 surface-to-air missile launcher

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft Gatling-style rotating gun

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a medium-range air-to-air missile

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

2 x CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

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