USS Wichita (LCS-13)
_and_Jamaica_Defence_Force_Coast_Guard_patrol_vessel_HMJS_Cornwall_conduct_a_live-fire_exercise_in_April_2021_-_3_(cropped).jpg) USS Wichita underway on 9 April 2021
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Wichita |
| Namesake | Wichita |
| Awarded | 4 March 2013[3] |
| Builder | Marinette Marine[3] |
| Laid down | 9 February 2015[3][4] |
| Launched | 17 September 2016 |
| Sponsored by | Kate Lehrer |
| Christened | 17 September 2016 |
| Acquired | 22 August 2018[1] |
| Commissioned | 12 January 2019[2] |
| Homeport | Mayport |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Keeper of the Seas |
| Status | Active |
| Badge | _Crest.png) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Freedom-class littoral combat ship |
| Displacement | 3,500 metric tons (3,900 short tons) full load[6] |
| Length | 378.3 ft (115.3 m) |
| Beam | 57.4 ft (17.5 m) |
| Draft | 13.0 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines , 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets |
| Speed | 45 knots (52 mph; 83 km/h) (sea state 3) |
| Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)[5] |
| Endurance | 21 days (336 hours) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 11 m RHIB , 40 ft (12 m) high-speed boats |
| Complement | 131 Core Crew (Training Ship) |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
| Aviation facilities | Flight Deck, Hangar Bay |
| Notes | Electrical 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,[3] the third ship named after Wichita, the largest city in Kansas.[9]
Design
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
_launches_sideways_(29725271776).jpg)
The
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
On 5 May 2022, Wichita conducted Maritime Interdiction Exercises with the Dominican Navy.[20]
Planned decommissioning and possible reprieve
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
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Hundreds attend commissioning of USS Wichita at Naval Station Mayport". 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Wichita (LCS-13)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "LCS Littoral Combat Ship". Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ Mk-46 GWS Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Seaforces.org
- ^ 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
- ^ "Secretary of the Navy Names Multiple Ships" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Navy launches new USS Wichita combat ship". greatbendpost.com. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ Tanner, Beccy (16 September 2016). "USS Wichita will carry some of city's history". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ Neil, Denise (2 July 2016). "USS Wichita crest incorporates city flag, heritage". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Commanders Sign Integrated Maritime Campaign Support Plan". United States Marine Corps Flagship. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "USS Wichita Deploys to Support Regional Cooperation and Security". DVIDS. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "USS Wichita and Jamaican Forces Conduct Live-Fire Exercise". U.S. Southern Command. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Wichita Conducts Maritime Interdiction Exercise with Dominican Republic".
- ^ LaGrone, Sam (29 March 2022). "All Freedom Littoral Combat Ships in Commission Tapped for Early Disposal". USNI News. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Richard (14 August 2023). "USS Wichita gets new engine after just four years' service". Naval Technology. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
External links
Media related to USS Wichita (LCS-13) at Wikimedia Commons
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