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Naval Warfare

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.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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 national flag graphic
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)


National flag of the United States 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)


kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers

1 kts = 1.15 mph | 1 nm = 1.15 mi | 1 nm = 1.85 km
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.

Images Gallery



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Image of the USS Wichita (AOR-1)

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