Wichita

14.3

Wichita

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Purchase price11,500

Hit Points37,900

Main Battery

203 mm/55 Mk.15 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire6 shots/min.

Reload Time10 sec.

Rotation Speed6 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time30 sec.

Firing Range15.83 km.

Maximum DispersionUnable to match configuration for query: artillery:pasc508_wichita::stock|artillerydispersion m.

HE Shell203 mm HE/HC Mk25

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,800

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell14 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity823 m./s.

HE Shell Weight118 kg.

AP Shell203 mm AP Mk19

Maximum AP Shell Damage4,600

Initial AP Shell Velocity853 m./s.

AP Shell Weight118 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second32

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second42.8

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second45.2

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount18 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second64.8

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount4 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second63.6

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33.6 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.7 km.

Air Detectability Range7.16 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

14.3

Wichita

Cruiser | U.S.A. | Tier VIII

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Purchase price11,500

Hit Points37,900

Main Battery

203 mm/55 Mk.15 in a turret3 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire6 shots/min.

Reload Time10 sec.

Rotation Speed6 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time30 sec.

Firing Range15.83 km.

Maximum DispersionUnable to match configuration for query: artillery:pasc508_wichita::top|artillerydispersion m.

HE Shell203 mm HE/HC Mk25

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,800

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell14 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity823 m./s.

HE Shell Weight118 kg.

AP Shell203 mm AP Mk19

Maximum AP Shell Damage4,600

Initial AP Shell Velocity853 m./s.

AP Shell Weight118 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

Secondary Armament #2

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range6.6 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell127 mm HE Mk32

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,800

Initial HE Shell Velocity792 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell5 %

AA Defense

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.24 mod.11 mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second32

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

127 mm/38 Mk.12 on a Mk.30 mod.0 mount4 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second42.8

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.1 mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second45.2

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

20 mm Oerlikon on a Mk.4 mount18 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second64.8

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

40 mm/56 Bofors on a Mk.2 mount4 х 4 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second63.6

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed33.6 knot

Turning Circle Radius680 m.

Rudder Shift Time6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11.7 km.

Air Detectability Range7.16 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VIII

11,500

Wichita — American premium Tier VIII cruiser.

The design for this ship was based on Brooklyn-class cruisers in terms of their layout but featured 203 mm guns. The distance between the barrels of the guns was increased to reduce shell dispersion. It was decided to incorporate a conical shape for the barbettes instead of a cylindrical one to prevent an increase in their diameter. During World War II, USS Wichita played an active role in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters. Over the course of the war, the cruiser was awarded 13 battle stars.

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning: The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

Tier VIII Wichita is a heavy cruiser squeezed into a light cruiser’s hull. She uses the same AP rounds as New Orleans rather than the super heavy rounds of Baltimore, giving her flatter gun arcs and slightly easier gunnery at the cost of slightly less punch. In compensation, she gains improved agility and excellent concealment.

The Ship

Wichita was historically built on a hull derived from the Brooklyn-class light cruisers, and this shows in game. Wichita has the fastest rudder shift time of the Tier VIII cruisers; at just 6 seconds, she will rapidly respond to changes of direction. Her turning circle of 680 meters, while not the best at her tier, is considerably better than average. Her top speed of 33.6 knots is relatively fast, but she is slow to accelerate, taking a full 29 seconds to reach this speed. Her speed will allow her to easily reposition, but it is not quite quick enough to easily chase down, or escape from, enemies. Her concealment can be as low as 9.5 km, allowing Wichita to position herself in relative safety.

She mounts a standard cruiser Damage Control Party  with a 5 second action time and 60 seconds between uses.

Wichita has two additional consumable slots, both of which have options available. In the second slot, she can choose between Hydroacoustic Search  or Defensive AA Fire . Hydroacoustic Search is generally the optimal choice, able to detect ships at 5 km and torpedoes at 3 km. Defensive AA Fire is a more situational choice, and generally players will gain more benefit from Hydroacoustic Search. Should Defensive AA Fire be used, it will provide a 50% increase to AA DPS and 300% boost to flak damage for 40 seconds. The third slot has the option of Spotting Aircraft  or Surveillance Radar . Her spotter will give Wichita a 20% increase to main battery range for 100 seconds, with four minutes between uses. Her radar will detect ships within 9 km, with an action time of 30 seconds that can be stretched to almost 40 seconds with captain skills, upgrades, and combat signals. She cannot stealth radar, but 500 meters does not leave a destroyer much room to turn around and escape after Wichita is spotted.

Survivability

Wichita’s hull is covered in 27 mm plating, which can bounce AP from 381 mm guns if she is properly angled. Against many Tier VI and VII battleships, Wichita is a tough nut to crack if she does not show broadside. Even against same-tier battleships, she is able to bounce almost half of the ships she can face. Russian, US, and Japanese battleships will generally be able to overmatch her bow, as will Hawke, Zieten, and Champagne. Additionally, her plating is thick enough to shatter the HE rounds of lower tier light cruisers without the Inertial Fuse for High Explosive skill, with the notable exception of German light cruisers. Her citadel mostly sits well below the waterline, although there is a considerable section between the forward and aft structure that is raised slightly above the waterline and protected by 152 mm of armor. Wichita is vulnerable to taking citadel hits along the waterline should she show too much broadside. Remaining mobile and angled will vastly reduce the damage that she will take. Despite her good armor, she has a relatively small health pool. At 37,900, she has 4,500 hit points less than Baltimore. She can still bounce as many shells as her cousin, but the shells that penetrate will hurt proportionally more.

Armament

Like most US cruisers, Wichita does not carry torpedoes and must rely solely on gunfire to deal with her enemies. She has nine 203 mm guns in three triple turrets: two forward and one aft. Her reload of 10 seconds is good, but her turret traverse time of 30 seconds feels glacial, especially when Wichita is maneuvering. A maximum range of 15.8 km is fairly standard for a Tier VIII cruiser, but it can feel lacking when Wichita is bottom tier. Her AP rounds are the same as those of New Orleans. They have the improved ricochet angles common to American heavy cruisers, but they lack the sheer penetration and damage of Baltimore’s heavier shells. This is not to say they are bad; even the “lesser” shells have superior penetration to many other Tier VIII cruisers but they are not as strong as Baltimore’s. Her HE rounds are the same as those of Baltimore; a 14% fire chance per shell gives Wichita the ability to potentially set 7.6 fires per minute. She lags behind light cruisers in fire starting potential, but her rounds will do considerably more damage per hit than the lighter ships. Her HE rounds have enough penetration to defeat the bow and stern plating of high-tier battleships, as well as the casemate armor of British and French battleships.

Anti-Aircraft

Wichita’s AA defenses are fairly typical of a Tier VIII cruiser — decent without being outstanding. Its main strength comes from her long-range batteries, which put out 5 flak bursts per salvo. Unwary aircraft can find themselves shredded before they’re able to attack. Her mid-range weapons reach out to 3.5 km, and her short-range weapons can engage targets within 2 km. These will knock down some aircraft, but Wichita remains some distance from being a floating no-fly zone. By overlapping AA auras with other ships, she can contribute to defending allies; if she is alone, Wichita cannot persuade a determined CV player to go elsewhere.

Anti-Submarne

Wichita uses an ASW airstrike with a range of 7 km. Each attack will drop two bombs, with up to two attacks queued at a time. These are standard for the tier, doing 4,200 damage on a direct hit.

Battle Performance

Wichita offers a slight variation on US heavy cruiser play. She lacks the sheer power of Baltimore’s AP, but has unmatched agility and good stealth. She also lacks Baltimore’s ability to stealth radar, but her radar can still deter enemy destroyers or reveal cruisers trying to engage from their own smoke screens. Her lack of torpedoes means that players will need to be aware of their surroundings, as there is little to stop a battleship from charging an isolated Wichita.

Like Baltimore, Wichita is well suited to medium-range engagements. Islands or friendly smokescreens can provide cover for Wichita to reach her optimal range. In common with most heavy cruisers, effective ammunition selection is important to ensure the maximum effect of her main battery. Knowing whether HE or AP rounds are the most suitable for a situation is an important skill to learn.

On maps with lots of cover, or when Wichita is top tier, she can position more aggressively. Angling and using cover to limit the number of ships that can engage her will preserve her HP. Against battleships with 381 mm or smaller guns, Wichita can be a frustrating target to engage. If in doubt, use the ship information from the team view to check whether Wichita will be able to bounce their AP rounds.

Against stronger enemies or when there is little cover, Wichita can play defensively and kite away from the opposition. In these situations Wichita has similar firepower to Baltimore, and her improved agility means that she is better suited to this tactic, using her quick rudder shift to present an unpredictable target.

Pros:

• Well armored
• Improved ricochet angles on her AP
• Excellent maneuverability
• Good top speed
• Stealthy
• Access to Surveillance Radar 

Cons:

• Small health pool
• Weaker AP than Baltimore
• Slow turret traverse
• No torpedoes makes it difficult to land a knockout blow
• Slow to accelerate
  

Research

As a premium ship, Wichita has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

There is a choice of upgrades for slot 2. Surveillance Radar Modification 1, available from the armory for coal gives a 20% boost to radar duration. Alternatively, Engine Room Protection will keep Wichita mobile. In slot 4, Propulsion Modification 1 will boost her acceleration and make dodging fire easier. Steering Gears Modification 1 is also an option, but is really overkill.

The recommended upgrades for Wichita are as follows:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
• Slot 2: Surveillance Radar Modification 1 or Engine Room Protection
• Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
• Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
• Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 

Commander Skills

Any cruiser captain from the Des Moines line will be well suited to duty with Wichita. Grease the Gears takes on more importance with Wichita; under sustained maneuvering she can out-turn her turrets, making it difficult to keep her guns on target. If a captain is being used specifically for Wichita, then players may wish to use Survivability Expert in order to boost her small health pool. Alexander Ovechkin provides a useful boost to Grease the Gears and has an improved Survivability Expert skill, both of which are potentially useful for a Wichita build.

If players have him, the special commander William Halsey is a good fit. His improved Grease the Gears and Gun Feeder skills are both useful in Wichita. His special talents are difficult to activate with Wichita, gaining a Double Strike achievement reduces Wichita’s concealment even further, allowing her to easily stealth radar.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost. ★★	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament.. ★
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up.	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Wichita can equip the following consumables:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
• Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  or Hydroacoustic Search 
• Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft  or Surveillance Radar 

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Wichita comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Charlie Kilo +5% ship HP; +2.5% squadron HP. ★★★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration.	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire . ★★

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Historical Info

USS Wichita, 1941

Construction

Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,
   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Laid down: 28 October 1935

Launched: 16 November 1937

Commissioned: 16 February 1939

---

Specifications

Displacement: 10, 759 tons, standard

Length: 185.42m

Beam: 18.82m

Draft: 7.24m

---

Machinery

8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, oil-fired

4 Parsons turbines

---

Performance

33 knots at 100,00 shaft horsepower

10,000nm at 15 knots

---

Armor

Main belt: 160mm

Decks: 57mm

Conning Tower: 150mm

Turrets: 200mm

---

Armament

Main

Nine (3x3) 203mm/55 Mk 12 guns

Secondary

Eight (8x1) 125mm/38 Mk 12 guns

Anti-aircraft

Twenty four (4x4, 8x2) 40mm Bofors guns

Eighteen (18x1) 20mm Oerlikon guns

Aircraft Facilities

Four scout floatplanes

Two steam catapults

---

Complement

929 personnel

USS Wichita (CA-45) anchored at Seidisfjord, Iceland on 30 June 1942.

History

Design

With the adoption of the London Naval Treaty in 1930, the United States Navy came to the realization that it had reached the end of the design progression they could get from the New Orleans-class cruisers. As a result of the treaty, however, the development of light cruisers boomed worldwide — both the British and the Japanese began to furiously progress their own designs — and the result for America was the Brooklyn-class.

Curiously though, the treaty still allowed the construction of two heavy cruisers: one in 1934 and one in 1935. In order to fill the latter slot, the US Navy opted to adapt the hull of a Brooklyn-class ship into a heavy cruiser that would differ significantly from preceding designs. The goal was to have a heavy cruiser with better protection and handling, while in addition improving the anti-air defenses and increasing the fuel capacity. The result of this odd mix of circumstances was USS Wichita (CA-45). As a one-of-a-kind ship, no sister ships were considered during Wichita’s construction.

Displacing up to 13,000 tons at maximum load, Wichita was noticeably larger than the New Orleans class. The armor protection consisted of a main armor belt up to 152mm thick, which tapered to as little as 102mm at the ends. The forward and rear citadel bulkheads were 152mm strong and a 57mm deck provided protection against plunging fire and bombs. The barbettes were armored with 178mm strong walls, and the main battery turrets had 203mm strong faces, 95mm thick sides, and 70mm of roof plating. The armored conning tower carried up to 152mm of armor.

The 8-inch main battery guns were placed in three new triple-barreled turrets, which placed the guns further apart to reduce dispersion and allowed an individual elevation of each gun. These wound up being the same turrets that the following Baltimore class would mount; however, Wichita did not not have the improved hoists installed necessary to handle the famous USN super-heavy shells. Instead, she fired the same armor-piercing shell as the New Orleans class, at a rate of fire of around four rounds per minute. Just like the preceding classes, no torpedo armament was planned or installed.

The secondary battery armament was significantly improved, and a eight single-mounted 127mm/38 guns were installed. They featured a better rate of fire and range than the old 127mm/25, and four turrets were also enclosed to protect against weather and splinters. They were spread out over the length of the superstructure, with two mounted along the centerline. Initial concerns regarding the stability of Wichita led to only six secondary guns being installed at first, with the last two not added until 1939. The designed close-range AA defense consisted of eight .50-caliber machine guns on the superstructure. This was later deemed insufficient, and two 28mm quad mountings were added in 1941. In 1943, a major AA refit took place which saw the removal of all the .50-caliber and 28mm guns; four quadruple and two twin 40mm Bofors mounts and 18 single mounted 20mm Oerlikons took their place. Towards the end of World War II, another two 40mm Bofors twins were installed.

Sporting similar machinery to the Brooklyn class, Wichita’s propulsion consisted of eight boilers which supplied steam for her four turbines, generating up to 100,000 shaft horsepower. The designed speed was 33 knots, and a fuel capacity of 1,984 tons provided for a cruising range of up to 10,000 nautical miles.

Wichita stood out even more from the older heavy cruisers of the US Navy due to the arrangement of her aviation facilities. Just like on the Brooklyn class, they were mounted on the stern of the ship, saving space at the midsection of the ship which could be used for smaller armaments. Two catapults and a crane were used to launch the planes and to lift the returning planes out of the water, and a hangar below the deck allowed Wichita to carry up to four floatplanes.

Service

Laid down as the sole ship of her class on 28 October 1935, launched on 16 November 1937 and commissioned on 13 February 1939, USS Wichita (CA-45) was the final American cruiser designed under the limitations of the Washington and London Naval Treaties. She marked a change in design philosophy of US cruisers that led into the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers and the Cleveland-class light cruisers. Departing from her home port of Philadelphia, she sailed for Houston, Texas, then returned to Philadelphia by early September for post-shakedown repairs. After World War II began, Wichita’s first duties were neutrality patrols in the Caribbean Sea and along the eastern seaboard of the United States. These were intermittently done with training exercises that lasted until May 1940.

Throughout 1940 until late 1941, Wichita went on goodwill cruises and took part in training operations around the Caribbean, occasionally going on neutrality patrol. Her neutrality patrols had taken her as far as 800 nautical miles off Ireland, but her next mission would take her all the way to Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland was a sovereign kingdom under a personal union with Denmark, but when Germany invaded Denmark, Iceland remained neutral. As part of the United Kingdom’s efforts in blockading Germany, they had effectively invaded Iceland to prevent it from falling into German hands, but the UK transferred the defense of Iceland to the United States on 7 July 1940, when the USA was also still technically neutral. Wichita sailed for Reykjavik with a cadre of US Army troops, fighter aircraft, and alongside carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) and battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41). Two days before they arrived, the US Navy ordered all ships of the Atlantic Fleet to protect any and all ships engaged in commerce in US defensive waters and had authorization to attack any German or Italian naval forces encountered. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in early 1941, the USA entered World War II, and at the time, Wichita lay at anchor in Iceland.

Her first wartime mission was a patrol of the Denmark Strait in early January 1942. On the 15th, a powerful storm hit Iceland, and Wichita was damaged in the storm, colliding with Allied merchant and auxiliary ships and running aground. She was subsequently forced to return to the United States mainland for repairs. She returned to the European theater on 26 March, when she joined Task Force 39 and departed to reinforce the British Home Fleet. After arriving in Scapa Flow, Wichita and her fellow American ships spent several weeks training with their British counterparts. In late April 1942, she took part in her first major operation with the British – escorting the vital Arctic supply convoys going to and from the Soviet Union. Wichita spent the period of April to mid-August 1942 covering Arctic convoys and patrolling the Denmark Strait, occasionally encountering German reconnaissance planes. Wichita had the honor of being inspected by King George VI during her stay at Scapa Flow.

Near the end of October 1942, Wichita joined Task Group 34.1, bound for the western Mediterranean to provide gunfire support for Operation Torch: the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa, under control of the puppet Vichy French government serving under Nazi Germany. On 8 November, Wichita fought her first real battle as she took part in the Naval Battle of Casablanca. The American warships were tasked with neutralizing French defenses around the port of Casablanca, whose defenses included the incomplete battleship Jean Bart in the harbor. The Vichy French forces put up a fight, with Wichita, New Orleans-class heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and South Dakota-class battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) leading the assault, with Wichita and Tuscaloosa sinking two Vichy French destroyers and damaging a third, later joining Massachusetts in her assault on Jean Bart. She patrolled the waters around French North Africa until her part in the amphibious assault was complete, returning to New York for repairs, arriving back home on 19 November.

Come 1943, Wichita set sail for the Pacific Ocean to join Task Force 19 operating around Guadalcanal. Wichita made it in time to participate in the Battle of Rennel Island on the night of 29 January 1943, where US warships came under attack from Japanese bombers. This was the last major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal campaign. Following this, Wichita sailed for Alaska via the New Hebrides and Pearl Harbor, where she was assigned to the amphibious force tasked with liberating the Aleutian Islands from Japanese forces in early May. She bombarded the island of Kiska twice in July, but made no contact with Japanese forces, who had evacuated before the Americans even invaded. She spent the next few months exercising off Hawaii, before returning to the USA for a three-month long refit that lasted into December 1943.

On 16 July 1944, Wichita departed Pearl Harbor to take part in the invasion of the Marshall Islands. Joining Task Group 58.3, Wichita provided anti-air support for the carriers while they struck the Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls in late January. On 4 February, she was transferred to Task Group 58.2 based in Majuro. On the 12th, the force departed on Operation Hailstone, a major air strike on the lynchpin Japanese base at Truk. On the night of the 16th, Essex-class carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) was torpedoed by Japanese aircraft, and Wichita joined Task Force 58.2 which was then detached to escort Intrepid back to safety. TF 58.2 arrived back in Hawaii on 28 February, and on 8 March, Wichita became the flagship of Cruiser Division 6. She arrived back in Majuro on the 20th, and re-joined the screen for the Fast Carrier Task Force as they struck the Japanese-controlled Caroline Islands from March through April. By early May, she was back in Majuro for a month of training, returning to the fleet in June, to prepare for operations against the Mariana Islands. Joining Task Force 53.10.8, Wichita shelled Japanese positions on the islands of Saipan and Guam in mid-June. On 19 June, Japanese carriers struck the American Fleet, starting the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Wichita was part of the anti-air screen, and her gunners claimed the destruction of two torpedo bombers. Wichita was detached following the battle to escort troop transports around Saipan until early July. She continued bouncing around the Marianas, Carolines, Philippines, and Dutch East Indies, covering troop transports, shelling Japanese locations, and screening the Fast Carrier Task Group.

On 2 October 1944, Wichita was underway to support a raid on Okinawa. She reached Okinawa by the 10th and launched the strike, moving down to hit Luzon and Taiwan, intent on taking out critical Japanese airfields for the upcoming assault on the Philippines. On 13 October, Japanese aircraft attacked the fleet and badly damaged Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Canberra (CA-70), and Wichita broke off to take Canberra under tow, escorting her back to safety. By 21 October, the damaged ships were in safe waters and Wichita joined the fleet off Luzon, under Task Force 34. Wichita had an active role in the ensuing Battle of Leyte Gulf that started 2 days later. On the 25th, the Fast Carrier Strike Force steamed north, attacking the Japanese Northern Force in the area. Wichita screened the carriers, before Task Force 34 detached to finish off the crippled Japanese ships with gunfire; Wichita and 3 Allied cruisers sank the Japanese converted light carrier Chiyoda and Akizuki-class destroyer Hatsuzuki. After this, Wichita returned to screening the carriers, intermittently providing gunfire support for troops fighting in the Philippines and screening against Japanese airstrikes. By the middle of November, however, her crew discovered severe vibrations in her No. 4 engine, and she had to head back to mainland America for repairs via Ulithi atoll. While in Ulithi, further inspection found that only two of her four propellers were operational. She reached San Pedro, California on 15 December 1944, remaining there until late February 1945.

On 28 February 1945, Wichita departed for Pearl Harbor. She arrived in Hawaii on 6 March, departing for Ulithi five days later. Upon arrival, she was assigned to Task Force 54, and put to sea to take part in the invasion of Okinawa. It was her duty to cover minesweepers, bombard Japanese positions, and defend against airstrikes; her crew claimed one aircraft. When the invasion began on 1 April, Wichita provided gunfire support to the southern landing locations, bombarding the shore through to the 3rd, covering minesweepers on the 4th, then resuming bombardments on the 5th. On the 6th, a Japanese A6M Zero attempted to attack Wichita. Suddenly appearing on her port side, her AA guns opened fire and hit the plane, causing it to veer off out of control, its 500-pound bomb falling short of its target. The Zero’s wing clipped Wichita’s deck before crashing into the sea, wounding eleven men. She remained in Okinawan waters, taking minor damage that necessitated repairs twice, returning to Okinawa each time such repairs were completed. She remained on station off Okinawa, and it was there on 15 August that the ship’s crew received word that the war with Japan was over.

Her combat service over, Wichita was assigned to the occupying force after the end of the war. She sailed for Nagasaki, and was one of the first major warships to reach Japan. Wichita moved back and forth from Nagasaki to Sasebo, until 5 November when she was assigned to Operation Magic Carpet. Following a quick refit in San Francisco, Wichita ferried men from Saipan to San Francisco, then onwards to Philadelphia by 14 February 1946. Wichita earned 13 battle stars for her service, having fought in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and across the Pacific. She was placed in reserve on 15 July 1946, decommissioned on 3 February 1947, and finally sold for scrap on 14 August 1959... the last pre-war American cruiser sent to the breakers.

Historical Inaccuracies

• Wichita is depicted in her final 1945 refit. None of her early war configurations are represented.
• Wichita was never painted in Measure 32 camouflage. A drawing exists but it was never adopted.
• Historical Measure 12 modified and Measure 22 camouflage schemes are missing.

Historical Gallery

• 

  The launching of USS Wichita (CA-25), 16 November 1937.

• 

  Wichita, in pre-war light gray, underway off Norfolk, Virginia on 1 May 1940.

• 

  Wichita weathering a storm off Iceland.

• 

  USS Wichita (CA-45), 22 April 1942.

• 

  Wichita underway near Seidisfjord, Iceland in June 1942.

• 

  Wichita anchored at Seidisfjord, Iceland on 30 June 1942. The image shows a view amidships looking towards the bow.

• 

  Wichita in a gunnery duel with Jean Bart, 8 November 1942.

• 

  USS Louisville (CA-28) and USS Chicago (CA-29), photographed from Wichita, off Rennell Island.

• 

  Wichita leading a column of cruisers bombarding Kiska Island on 22 July 1943.

• 

  Wichita underway in the Pacific, May 1944.

• 

  Wichita’s 5" guns bombard Saipan during battle, 26 June 1944.

• 

  Wichita firing a broadside.

• 

  Wichita and hospital ship USS Haven (AH-12) in Nagasaki harbor, September 1945.

References

1. USS Wichita (CA-45) - Wikipedia
2. Wichita: Bruiser Cruiser - News - World of Warships

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.7.10.

Testing Changes

• September 18, 2018:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• October 1, 2018:
  • The firing angles of the main battery turrets were improved.
  • Main battery reload time was reduced from 9.86 to 7.78 s.
  • Characteristics of the Surveillance Radar consumable were changed:
    • Duration was reduced from 30 to 25 s.
    • Range was reduced from 9 to 8.5 km.
• October 26, 2018:
  • The characteristics of the AP shells were adjusted:
    • The Mark 21 shells (from Baltimore) were replaced with Mark 19 shells (from New Orleans).
    • AP shell damage was reduced from 5,000 to 4,600.
    • The initial velocity of the AP shells was increased from 762 to 853 m/s.
  • Detectability was increased from 11.34 to 12.06 km.
  • Detectability after firing main guns in smoke was increased from 6.29 to 6.79 km
  • Rudder shift was reduced from 7.6 to 6.06 s.
  • Radar characteristics were adjusted to match other Tier VIII American cruisers:
    • Range was increased from 8.49 to 9.0 km.
    • Duration was increased from 25 to 30 s.
• November 7, 2018:
  • The Catapult Fighter consumable was replaced with the Spotting Aircraft consumable, using the same characteristics as Cleveland's.

• First appeared on sale in February 2019.
• Update 0.8.4:
  • Fixed a bug with the incorrect range of the "Surveillance Radar" consumable.
• Update 0.9.2:
  • Armor thickness changed: the central section was reinforced from 25 to 27 mm.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • The firing range of the secondary battery was increased to 6.6 km.

Ships of U.S.A.

Cruisers