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威奇托号重巡洋舰是美國海軍在20世纪30年代建造的重巡洋舰，也是美国海军最后一艘条约型重巡洋舰。威奇托号原计划编入新奥尔良级，因此主炮采用3座三联装8英寸（203毫米）炮塔。威奇托号使用布鲁克林级轻巡洋舰的船体，并改进了装甲。这样的设计方式沿用至二战后期巴尔的摩级等重巡洋舰。1929年经国会《巡洋舰法案》批准，1935年10月在费城海军船坞开工，1937年11月下水，1939年2月开始服役。
 1942年4月22日，威奇托号重巡洋舰
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| 概况 | |
|---|---|
| 建造者 | 费城海军船坞 |
| 前级 | 新奥尔良级重巡洋舰 |
| 次级 | 巴尔的摩级重巡洋舰 |
| 规划数 | 1 |
| 完成数 | 1 |
| 退役数 | 1 |
| 历史 | |
.svg){kind=small} 美国
| |
| 艦名 | 威奇托号 |
| 艦名出處 | 堪萨斯州，威奇托 |
| 動工日 | 1935年10月28日 |
| 下水日 | 1937年11月16日 |
| 服役日 | 1939年2月16日 |
| 退役日 | 1947年2月3日 |
| 除籍日 | 1959年3月1日 |
| 榮譽和獎項 | 13 × 战斗星章 |
| 结局 | 1959年8月14日出售 |
| 技术数据 | |
| 艦型 | 重巡洋舰 |
| 排水量 |
|
| 全長 |
|
| 全寬 | 61英尺9英寸（18.82米） |
| 吃水 | 23英尺9英寸（7.24米） |
| 動力輸出 |
|
| 動力來源 |
|
| 速度 | 33節（61公里每小時；38英里每小時） |
| 續航距離 | 10,000海里（19,000公里；12,000英里）/15節（28公里每小時；17英里每小時） |
| 船員 | 929名船员 |
| 武器裝備 |
|
| 装甲 | |
| 艦載機 | 4 × 侦察机 |
| 飞行设施 | 2 × 飞机弹射器 |
服役后，威奇托号参加大西洋中立巡逻队。1942年初，在北极航线护航。1942年11月参加“火炬行動”，并在卡萨布兰卡海战中和让·巴尔号等战舰交战。1943年，威奇托号被派往太平洋战区。1944年，在菲律賓海海戰和雷伊泰灣海戰中曾为快速航母特遣舰队提供防空援护，且在雷伊泰灣海戰击沉了日军的千代田號航空母艦。
冲绳岛战役中，威奇托号为地面部队提供大量火力支援。日本投降后，在“魔毯行动”中协助美军返国。1947年，威奇托号退役，进入后备舰队，1959年除名，同年8月出售。
20世纪30年代初，美国海军部长柯蒂斯·德怀特·威伯尔提出新的轻重巡洋舰建设计划。[1]1929年，国会正式通过了《巡洋舰法案》，批准建造新巡洋舰。[2][1] 威奇托号是1930年《伦敦海军条约》限制下的最后一艘重巡洋舰。该条约限制美国海军重巡洋舰不得超过18艘，最大排水量不得超过10,000長噸（10,160公噸）。[3] 该舰原计划沿用纽奥良级重巡洋舰的设计，但在建造前改为基于布鲁克林级轻巡洋舰设计。在布鲁克林级的基础上，威奇托号提高了干舷、提高了船体稳定性和巡航半径。8门Mk12 5吋38倍径炮与轻巡洋舰在数量上相同，但火力范围得以扩大；而9门8吋55倍径舰炮的炮塔则经过重新设计。[3]
Wichita was laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 28 October 1935, and launched on 16 November 1937. 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長噸（203.6公噸） of pig iron had to be added to her bottom to balance the cruiser. Wichita was commissioned into the US Navy on 16 February 1939.[3] Her first commander was Captain Thaddeus A. Thomson.[4]
Wichita was 600英尺（182.9米） long at the waterline and 608英尺4英寸（185.42米） long overall. She had a beam of 61英尺9英寸（18.82米） and a draft of 23英尺9英寸（7.24米）. She displaced 10,589長噸（10,759公噸） at standard displacement and 13,015長噸（13,224公噸） at full combat load. The ship had a crew of 929 officers and enlisted men. She was equipped with four seaplanes and a pair of aircraft catapults and a crane for handling the aircraft which were mounted on the stern. Wichita was powered by four Parsons steam turbines and eight Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired water-tube boilers. The propulsion system was rated at 100,000匹軸馬力（75,000千瓦特） and a top speed of 33節（61公里每小時；38英里每小時）. She carried 1,323至1,984長噸（1,344至2,016公噸） of fuel oil, which gave her a maximum cruising range of 10,000海里（18,520公里；11,510英里） at 15 kn（28 km/h；17 mph）.[3]
The hull was protected by a waterline armored belt composed of Class A armor that was 6.4英寸（160 mm） thick amidships. It was reduced to 4英寸（100 mm） thick on either end. The belt was backed with .63英寸（16 mm） of special treatment steel. The Class A steel was significantly more effective than the Class B armor used in earlier cruisers; 8-inch guns had to be within 10,000碼（9,100米） to penetrate the belt, as opposed to 16,400 yd（15,000米） for the earlier armor. Wichita had a 2.25英寸（57 mm） thick deck, which was immune to 8-inch fire inside 22,000 yd（20,120米）. The conning tower had 6英寸（152 mm） thick sides and a 2.25 in thick roof. The ship's main battery turrets had 8英寸（203 mm） thick faces, 3.75英寸（95 mm） thick sides, 1.5英寸（38 mm） thick rears, and 2.75英寸（70 mm） thick roofs. The turrets were mounted on armored barbettes protected with 7英寸（180 mm） of armor plating.[3]
Wichita was armed with a main battery of nine 8-inch /55 Mark 12 guns mounted in three 3-gun turrets. The guns fired a 335-英磅（152-公斤） projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,500英尺每秒（760米每秒）. Maximum elevation of the guns was 41 degrees; this provided a maximum range of 30,050 yd（27,480米）. Rate of fire was approximately one salvo every fifteen seconds.[5] The turrets allowed each gun to elevate and fire individually.[6] Her secondary battery consisted of eight 5-inch /38 Mark 12 dual-purpose guns, four in single, enclosed Mark 30 high-angle mounts, and four in open mounts. These guns fired 55磅（25公斤） projectiles at a rate of 20 rounds per minute. Muzzle velocity was 2,600 ft/s（790 m/s）; against aerial targets, the guns had a ceiling of 37,200英尺（11,300米） at 85 degrees. At 45 degrees, the guns could engage surface targets at a range of 18,200 yd（16,600米）.[7] Wichita was the first cruiser in the US Navy to be equipped with the new 5-inch /38 gun.[8]
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.[3] The 40 mm guns had a ceiling of 22,800英尺（6,900米） at 90 degrees elevation and a maximum rate of fire of 160 rounds per minute.[9] The 20 mm gun had a rate of fire of 465–480 rounds per minute; they had a ceiling of 10,000英尺（3,000米）.[10] 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.[6]
Wichita departed Philadelphia after her commissioning, bound for Houston, Texas. She arrived on 20 April 1939 and took part in the dedicatory and memorial service at the San Jacinto Battle Monument and War Relic Museum. The ship left Houston on 1 May for her shakedown cruise, during which she visited the Virgin Islands, Cuba, and the Bahamas before she returned to Philadelphia for post-shakedown repairs. On 25 September, a few weeks after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Wichita was assigned to Cruiser Division 7 in the Atlantic Squadron, based in the Hampton Roads. She conducted her first neutrality patrol on 4–9 October. After returning to port, she went into dock at the Norfolk Navy Yard for maintenance, which lasted until 1 December. On 4 December, Wichita steamed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arriving on the 8th. There, Thomson assumed command of the newly formed Caribbean Patrol, which included Wichita and the cruiser “Vincennes”号CA-44 (2), and the destroyers “Borie”号DD-215 (2), “Broome”号DD-210 (2), “Lawrence”号DD-250 (2), “King”号DD-242 (2), and “Truxtun”号DD-229 (2), and Navy patrol squadrons VP-33 and VP-51. Over the course of the next three months, the force conducted a series of training maneuvers in the Caribbean. At the end of February, Wichita returned to Norfolk via Philadelphia, where she participated in further training through May.[4]
Starting in June, Wichita and “Quincy”号CA-39 (2) conducted a goodwill cruise to South America; Wichita carried Rear Admiral Andrew C. Pickens, the commander of Cruiser Division 7. Included in the ports of call were Rio de Janeiro and Santos in Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. The cruise ended in late September; the two cruisers arrived in Norfolk on the 24th.[11] Over the next three months, Wichita served as a training ship for Naval Reserve midshipmen and conducted gunnery practices off the Virginia capes. On 7 January 1941, Wichita departed Hampton Roads for Guantanamo, arriving four days later. She participated in fleet maneuvers in the Caribbean through March and took part in practice amphibious landings at Puerto Rico. She returned to the United States, docking at the New York Navy Yard, on 23 March. Wichita went to sea again on 6 April, bound for Bermuda; she reached her destination two days later. She then joined the aircraft carrier “Ranger”号CV-4 (2) and the heavy cruiser “Tuscaloosa”号CA-37 (2) for a patrol in the North Atlantic, during which the ships sailed to within 800海里（1,500公里；920英里） of Ireland.[4][12]
Wichita then returned to the New York Navy Yard on 17 May and went into drydock on 21 June. Repairs were completed on 2 July, after which Wichita was transferred to Newport, Rhode Island. She sortied again on 27 July bound for Iceland as part of Task Force 16 under Operation Indigo II, the occupation of Iceland.[4] Wichita arrived in Reykjavík on 6 August, along with the carrier “Wasp”号CV-7 (2) and the battleship “Mississippi”号BB-41 (2). The task force landed a contingent of US Army troops and fighter aircraft to provide air support.[13][14] The cruiser returned to the United States by 20 August. Wichita returned to Iceland in September, arriving in Reykjavík on 28 September. Two days prior to Wichita's arrival, the US Navy ordered the units of the Atlantic Fleet to protect all ships engaged in commerce in United States defensive waters. The orders authorized the Navy to patrol, escort merchantmen, and attack any German or Italian naval forces encountered. Wichita was assigned to Task Group 7.5, which was engaged in patrolling Icelandic waters through the end 1941. On 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II; on the day of the attack, Wichita lay at anchor at Hvalfjörður, Iceland.[4]
_underway_during_a_winter_storm_off_Iceland_in_January_1942.jpg)
Wichita left port on 5 January 1942 for training and a patrol in the Denmark Strait; she returned to Hvalfjörður on 10 January.[4] On the 15th, a powerful storm, with sustained winds of 80節（150公里每小時；92英里每小時） and gusts up to 100 kn（190 km/h；120 mph）, hit Iceland. Wichita was damaged by the storm, including a collision with the freighter “SS”号 and the British trawler “Ebor Wyke”号 (2). She then ran aground off Hrafneyri Light.[15] The following day, the ship's crew evaluated her condition; she had suffered minor damage from the collisions, including some leaks, and damage to the hull from the grounding. Temporary repairs were effected in Iceland to allow Wichita to return to the New York Navy Yard for more thorough repairs. She arrived on 9 February, and repairs lasted until 26 February, when she left port for training maneuvers off Maine in early March.[4]
On 26 March, Wichita, assigned to Task Force 39, departed the United States to reinforce the British Home Fleet based in Scapa Flow. Task Force 39, commanded by Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr., included Wasp, the battleship “Washington”号BB-56 (2), the cruiser Tuscaloosa, and eight destroyers. While en route, Wilcox was swept overboard in a heavy sea and lost. Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen, who flew his flag in Wichita, took command of the task force.[16] After arriving in Scapa Flow, Wichita and the other American ships spent several weeks training with their British counterparts.[4] On 28 April, Wichita departed on her first major operation with the British. She was assigned to the Allied escort for the Arctic convoys QP 11 and PQ 15. The American component, organized as Task Force 99, comprised Washington, Wichita, Tuscaloosa, and four destroyers. The British assigned the carrier “Victorious”号R38 (2), the battleship “King George V”号41 (2), a light cruiser, and five destroyers.[17][18] After successfully escorting the convoys, Wichita returned to Hvalfjörður, arriving on 6 May.[4]
_and_USS_Wasp_(CV-7)_in_Scapa_Flow_in_April_1942.jpg)
Wichita sortied on 12 May to relieve Tuscaloosa, which was patrolling the Denmark Strait. Wichita returned to Hvalfjörður a week later, before putting to sea as part of another Allied convoy escort protecting one leg of the movement of Murmansk-bound convoy PQ 16 and eastbound QP 12. She put into Scapa Flow on 29 May after completing the mission. While in Scapa Flow, King George VI inspected Wichita on 7 June. Wichita left Scapa Flow on 12 June, bound for Hvalfjörður, and arrived 14 June. She then relieved the British cruiser “Cumberland”号57 (2) on patrol in the Denmark Strait. While on patrol on 17 June, Wichita spotted a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 reconnaissance bomber and opened fire, though without result. Three days later, she engaged another Fw 200, again without success.[4]
After returning to Hvalfjörður, Wichita steamed to Seidisfjord at the end of June, where she joined Tuscaloosa and three destroyers. They were assigned to the escort for the convoy PQ 17.[19] The convoy escort also included Washington, Victorious, and the battleship “Duke of York”号17 (2). The Germans organized a powerful task force, centered on the battleship “German battleship”号 and three heavy cruisers, to attack the convoy; the operation was codenamed Rösselsprung (Knight's Move). Swedish intelligence had meanwhile reported the German departures to the British Admiralty, which ordered the convoy to disperse. Aware that they had been detected, the Germans aborted the operation and turned over the attack to U-boats and the Luftwaffe. The scattered vessels could no longer be protected by the convoy escorts, and the Germans sank 21 of the 34 isolated transports.[20] The next day, while south of Spitzbergen, the ships were spotted and shadowed by a pair of Fw 200s. Both Wichita and Tuscaloosa opened fire with their antiaircraft guns, but the Fw 200s escaped without damage.[4]
In late July, Wichita went into drydock at the Royal Navy base in Rosyth, Scotland. Repairs, which included correcting a propeller shaft vibration, lasted from 24 July until 9 August. The repairs to the propeller shaft were ineffective, however, which necessitated a return to the United States. She reached the New York Navy Yard on 22 August for repairs, which lasted until 5 September. She completed a round of post-repair sea trials before conducting gunnery exercises in the Chesapeake Bay. Wichita conducted training off the Virginia Capes for the rest of the month, after which she steamed to Casco Bay in Maine for further maneuvers.[4]
_under_fire_off_Casablanca_on_8_November_1942.jpg)
At the end of October, Wichita was assigned to Task Group 34.1, under the command of Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, who flew his flag in “Augusta”号CA-31 (2).[4] The Task Group also included the battleship “Massachusetts”号BB-59 (2) and Tuscaloosa.[21] The ships were assigned to provide gunfire support for Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. Wichita participated in the Naval Battle of Casablanca, which began early on the morning of 8 November. The ships were tasked with neutralizing the primary French defenses, which included coastal guns on El Hank, several submarines, and the incomplete battleship “French battleship”号 which lay at anchor in the harbor. Wichita and Tuscaloosa initially engaged the French batteries on El Hank and the French submarine pens, while Massachusetts attacked Jean Bart. French naval forces, led by the cruiser “French cruiser”号, put up a stubborn defense.[22][23]
In response, the French launched a pair of attacks to break up the American landings. During the first French attack, either Wichita or Tuscaloosa damaged the French destroyer “French destroyer”号 and forced it aground. A second French attack was also defeated; one of the two cruisers sank the destroyer “French destroyer”号 and damaged “French destroyer”号. Wichita, Tuscaloosa, and Massachusetts also engaged Jean Bart.[22][24] At 11:28, Wichita was hit by a 194 mm（7.6英寸） shell, fired by a gun on El Hank. The shell penetrated her deck and exploded below, injuring fourteen men. Hewitt broke off the attack temporarily, but by 13:12, several American warships began firing on French vessels exiting the harbor. Wichita and Tuscaloosa closed on the port to engage the cruisers Primauguet and “French cruiser”号, still in the harbor. Heavy fire from El Hank forced the American cruisers to retreat shortly after 15:00.[25] For the remainder of the operations off North Africa, Wichita patrolled between Casablanca and Fedhala. Her part in the amphibious assault complete, Wichita departed the area on 12 November, bound for New York for repairs; she arrived on 19 November.[4]
Shortly after repairs were completed, Wichita was transferred to the Pacific theater.[4] She was assigned to Task Force 18, commanded by Rear Admiral Giffen, and tasked with operations off Guadalcanal. She was joined by the heavy cruisers “Louisville”号CA-28 (2) and “Chicago”号CA-29 (2), the light cruisers “Montpelier”号CL-57 (2), “Cleveland”号CL-55 (2), and “Columbia”号CL-56 (2). In addition, the escort carriers “Chenango”号CVE-28 (2) and “Suwannee”号CVE-27 (2), and eight destroyers were present in the task group.[26] On the night of 29 January 1943, the Task Force was steaming off Rennell Island; wary of the threat from Japanese submarines, which Allied intelligence indicated were likely in the area, Giffen arranged his cruisers and destroyers for anti-submarine defense, not expecting an air attack. The cruisers were aligned in two columns, spaced 2,500 yd（2,300米） apart. Wichita, Chicago, and Louisville, in that order, were to starboard, and Montpelier, Cleveland, and Columbia were to port. The six destroyers were in a semicircle 2 mi（1.7 nmi；3.2 km） ahead of the cruiser columns.[27] That evening, the ships came under attack from Japanese torpedo bombers. In the ensuing Battle of Rennell Island, Chicago was hit by several torpedoes and sunk; Wichita was hit by one torpedo, though it failed to explode.[28]
Wichita then steamed to Efate in the New Hebrides for a training period. She then departed on 7 April, bound for Pearl Harbor and arriving there a week later. On 18 April, she steamed out of Pearl Harbor for Adak, Alaska, again flying Giffen's flag, for Task Group 52.10.[4] In early May, Wichita was assigned to the amphibious force tasked with liberating the Aleutian Islands from Japanese control. She served as the flagship of the northern covering force, along with the cruisers Louisville and “San Francisco”号CA-38 (2) and four destroyers.[29] On 6 July, Wichita, three other cruisers, and four destroyers bombarded Japanese positions on the island of Kiska.[30] The bombardment convinced the Japanese that the Americans intended to invade the island in the near future; they therefore planned an evacuation by July.[31]
On 19 July, a powerful American fleet, including the battleships “New Mexico”号BB-40 (2), “Idaho”号BB-42 (2), and Mississippi joined Wichita to conduct another attack on Kiska three days later.[32] Five days later, malfunctioning radar equipment led to a battle with radar phantoms (the "Battle of the Pips"); Wichita, two battleships, and two other cruisers expended over a thousand rounds of ammunition from their main batteries on the empty sea. That same day, the Japanese successfully evacuated the island, which was invaded by American troops two weeks later.[30] The morning after the assumed engagement, Wichita launched a seaplane to reconnoiter the area, but found no evidence of Japanese forces.[33]
Wichita participated in exercises off Hawaii for the remainder of the year. On 16 January 1944, she departed to take part in the invasion of the Marshall Islands. She was assigned to Task Group 58.3, under the command of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman.[4] The Task Group included the fleet carrier “Bunker Hill”号CV-17 (2), the light carriers “Cowpens”号CVL-25 (2) and “Monterey”号CVL-26 (2), the fast battleships “North Carolina”号BB-55 (2), Massachusetts, “Alabama”号BB-60 (2), and “South Dakota”号BB-57 (2), and several destroyers.[34] Wichita provided anti-aircraft support for the carriers while they conducted air strikes on Kwajalein and Eniwetok on 29–31 January. On 4 February, Wichita arrived at Majuro; she was transferred to Task Group 58.2. The force departed Majuro on 12 February and conducted Operation Hailstone, a major air strike on the Japanese base at Truk, four days later.[4]
On the night of 16 February, Japanese aircraft launched an attack on the Task Group and torpedoed the carrier “Intrepid”号CV-11 (2). Task Unit 58.2.4, which included Wichita, was detached to escort Intrepid back to safety and repairs. The ships reached Majuro on 20 February, and departed for Hawaii eight days later. The ships arrived in port on 4 March, and on the 9th, Wichita became the flagship of Cruiser Division 6. On 15 March, Cruiser Division 6 departed Hawaii to return to Majuro, arriving on 20 March. After arriving, she joined the screen for the Fast Carrier Task Force, which struck Japanese bases on Yap, Woleai, and in the Palaus. Wichita supported strikes on Hollandia in New Guinea on 13–22 April. The task force returned to the seas off Truk on 29 April for a second round of airstrikes on the port. While the carriers were striking Truk, Wichita and several cruisers and destroyers shelled Japanese targets on Satawan Island in the Nomol group of the Caroline Islands.[4]
_underway_in_the_Central_Pacific_on_2_May_1944.jpg)
On 4 May, Wichita returned to Majuro for a month of training. In June, she returned to the fleet, which was gathering at Kwajalein in preparations for operations against the Mariana Islands. Wichita was assigned to Task Unit 53.10.8, which shelled Saipan on 13 June. The next day, Wichita bombarded Japanese gun positions on Guam, before returning to Saipan later that day. On 17 June, she joined Task Group 58.7; the force patrolled to the west of the Marianas over the next three days in an attempt to intercept the large Japanese carrier force known to be approaching. On 19 June, the Japanese carriers struck at the American fleet, starting the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Wichita contributed to the antiaircraft screen; her gunners claimed to have assisted in the destruction of two Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers. The ship was detached to cover troop transports and escort carriers off Saipan on 25 June. This duty lasted through the first week of July. Now part of Task Unit 53.18.1, Wichita bombarded Japanese positions on Guam on 8–12 July, and again starting on 18 July.[4][35]
Wichita departed Guam on 10 August, bound for Eniwetok. She arrived three days later and remained there until 29 July, when she put to sea to join Task Group 38.1. She screened for the fast carrier task group while they launched airstrikes on Japanese targets in Palau, the Carolines, the Philippines, and Dutch East Indies.[4] On 28 August, TG 38.1 raided targets in Palau and Morotai.[36] By mid-September, TG 38.1 provided air support for the assault on Morotai; the operation lasted until 21 September. The following day, the carriers launched an airstrike on Manila in the Philippines. Early on 22 September, Japanese aircraft launched a counterattack. At 07:34, Wichita shot down a bomber approximately 50 yards from her. She shot down another bomber at 07:45. She continued to provide antiaircraft defense for the carriers while they struck Japanese installations on Cebu, Negros, and Coron.[4]
Wichita got underway to support a raid on Okinawa on 2 October. On 10 October, the fleet reached the waters off Okinawa and launched the strike. The following day, the fleet struck Aparri on Luzon. The fleet then raided Formosa, where they targeted Japanese airfields to prepare for the upcoming assault against the Philippines.[4] On 13 October, Japanese bombers attacked the fleet and badly damaged the cruiser “Canberra”号CA-70 (2). Wichita took Canberra under tow, though she was relieved by the ocean-going tug “Munsee”号ATF-107 (2) on 15 October.[37] Wichita joined the screen for Canberra; the squadron was joined by the badly damaged cruiser “Houston”号CL-81 (2). The ships were attacked again the following day, and Houston was torpedoed again. Wichita left the damaged ships on 21 October, after they had successfully reached safer waters. Wichita then rejoined the fleet off Luzon, assigned to Task Force 34 under Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee.[4]
Wichita was present during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which started on 23 October. On 25 October, the Fast Carrier Strike Force had steamed north, to attack the Northern Force commanded by Jisaburō Ozawa. Wichita again screened for the carriers, which sank or damaged several Japanese carriers. Task Force 34 was detached to finish off several of the crippled Japanese ships with gunfire; Wichita and three other cruisers sank the light carrier “Japanese aircraft carrier”号 and the destroyer “Japanese destroyer”号.[38][39] Wichita expended twenty-two percent of her armor-piercing rounds at the two ships, which amounted to 148 rounds at Chiyoda and 173 against Hatsuzuki.[40] In the aftermath of the battle, Wichita returned to screening for the carriers off Samar. On 28 October, she provided gunfire support to troops ashore on Leyte. Two days later, she defended against a Japanese airstrike on the fleet.[4]
On 31 October, Wichita left the area, bound for Ulithi, reaching her destination on 2 November. After replenishing her ammunition and stores, she returned to Leyte for several days, until the middle of November. Her crew detected severe vibrations in her No. 4 engine; the propeller shaft had broken and the propeller was trailing. She was therefore detached on 18 November for repairs in California, via Ulithi. While in Ulithi, divers discovered cracks in a strut for No. 3 propeller shaft; now only two screws were operational. She reached San Pedro in California on 15 December. She entered the Terminal Island Navy Yard shortly after reaching port. Repairs lasted until 8 February 1945, and by 28 February, she departed for Pearl Harbor. Wichita arrived in Hawaii on 6 March, before departing five days later for Ulithi.[4]
Wichita arrived in Ulithi on 20 March, and was assigned to Task Force 54 (TF 54) the next day. She put to sea to take part in the invasion of Okinawa. The ship was placed in Task Unit 54.2.3 to cover minesweepers off Okinawa on 25 March. On the afternoon of the following day, Wichita bombarded Japanese positions on the island, from 13:50 to 16:30. Japanese aircraft attacked the ships early the next morning; Wichita's gunners shot down one of the aircraft. Later that day, the ship resumed bombardment duties in preparation for the amphibious invasion. She continued to shell the island through 28 March. The next day, she retired to Kerama Retto to replenish her ammunition. The ship then returned to Okinawa later that day to cover underwater demolition teams as they cleared beach obstacles. Wichita continued to support the demolition teams the next day, as well as shelling targets ashore. On 31 March, Wichita bombarded the sea wall to create a breach in preparation for the landings.[4]
_firing_broadside_c1944.png)
The invasion began on 1 April, and Wichita provided gunfire support to the landing troops on the southern beaches. At around 12:00, she left the firing line to replenish her ammunition. She resumed bombardment the following day and resupplied again on 3 April before covering minesweepers on 4 April. During the night of 4–5 April, Wichita shelled the Japanese defenders on Okinawa. The ship was assigned to join Task Group 51.19 the next day to bombard Tsugen Shima in company with Tuscaloosa and the battleships “Maryland”号BB-46 (2) and “Arkansas”号BB-33 (2). Japanese aircraft appeared, which forced the cancellation of the mission. Nevertheless, Wichita shelled Japanese shore batteries at Chiyama Shima that evening.[4]
Late on 6 April, an A6M Zero attempted to attack Wichita. The fighter came down through a break in the clouds on Wichita's port side. The ship's anti-aircraft gunners immediately opened fire; a burst from one of the 20 mm guns shot away the Zero's tail. The plane veered away, out of control, and dropped its 500-英磅（230-公斤） bomb, which fell approximately 50英尺（15米） from the ship. The Zero's wing clipped the deck before the plane crashed into the sea. Eleven men were wounded in the attack, though the ship remained undamaged.[41] The following day, Wichita steamed into Nakagusuku Bay to shell a coastal battery. Shells from the Japanese guns landed close to the ship, but no hits were scored before Wichita neutralized the battery. Over the next two days, the ship continued to bombard Japanese defenses on the island, until she retired to replenish ammunition on 10 April.[4]
Wichita continued to provide gunfire support throughout the rest of the month. On 27 April, a small caliber shell penetrated a fuel oil tank five feet below the waterline. After temporary repairs while still off Okinawa proved unsuccessful, Wichita returned to Kerama Retto where the damage was repaired on 29–30 April. Wichita then returned to the gun line.[4] On 12 May, the ship was damaged by friendly fire.[42] A 5-inch round struck the port aircraft catapult; shell fragments hit the shield of an antiaircraft director, killing one man and injuring eleven others. She departed the area to rest and refit at Leyte, returning to Okinawa on 18 June.[4] Wichita continued to provide gunfire support to the troops on Okinawa through July, as part of Task Unit 2.[43] On 15 August, the ship's crew received word that the war with Japan was over. Wichita was awarded 13 battle stars for her service during World War II.[4]
_at_Nagasaki_in_September_1945.png)
Wichita was assigned to the occupying force shortly after the end of the war. She departed Okinawa on 10 September for Nagasaki, arriving the following day as part of Task Group 55.7.[4] Wichita was one of the first major warships to reach Japan; she was escorted by a destroyer, a pair of destroyer escorts, two minesweepers, and the hospital ship “Haven”号AH-12 (2).[44] Wichita was transferred to Sasebo on 25 September for four days before she returned to Nagasaki on 29 September. She returned to Sasebo shortly thereafter, and while she was there, a severe typhoon struck the area on 9–11 October. Wichita was not damaged during the storms. While at Sasebo, Wichita's crew inspected the Japanese ships and harbor installations to ensure Japanese compliance with the terms of surrender.[4]
On 5 November, Wichita was assigned to Operation Magic Carpet, the repatriation of American military personnel. She refueled in Tokyo before departing for San Francisco. The ship reached San Francisco on 24 November, where she went into drydock at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard two days later. Repairs and modifications for further Magic Carpet duty were completed by 1 December. Wichita departed for Hawaii on 6 December, reaching Pearl Harbor on 12 December before proceeding to the Marianas. There, the ship loaded servicemen from Saipan and steamed back to San Francisco, arriving on 12 January 1946. She left port on 27 January bound for the east coast of the United States; she transited the Panama Canal on 5–9 February and reached Philadelphia on 14 February. There, she was assigned to the Sixteenth Fleet and was placed in reserve on 15 July. Wichita was decommissioned on 3 February 1947 and laid up at Philadelphia.[4]
In the late 1940s, the Navy considered converting Wichita into a guided-missile cruiser, but “Boston”号CA-69 (2) and Canberra were chosen instead.[8] On 1 March 1959, the ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and sold on 14 August to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp.[4]
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