USS Wichita (CA-45)
History of the USS Wichita Cruiser
The USS Wichita (CA-45) was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down at Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania on October 28, 1935. She was launched on November 16, 1937 and commissioned on February 16, 1939 under the command of Captain Thaddeus A. Thomson.
When World War II broke out in Europe on September 1, 1939, USS Wichita was undergoing work at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Just 24 days later, she was assigned to Cruiser Division 7 and took up Neutrality Patrol. After some repair work at Norfolk, Virginia, she headed to Cuba to join the newly created Caribbean Patrol, where fleet exercises alternated with patrol duties.
In January 1940, the USS Wichita became the flagship of the Antilles Detachment of the Caribbean Patrol. She sailed north to Norfolk, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in March, operating out of Hampton Roads through the spring. Over the summer, the cruiser made a voyage to South America to show the flag, calling on Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande de Sol, Salvador, Pernambuco, and Buenos Aires.
Upon her return to the United States, USS Wichita served as a Naval Reserve Training Ship for three months. After spending more time in the Caribbean, she joined Task Force 16 in July 1941 as part of Operation Indigo II, the occupation of Iceland. In September, the cruiser took up patrolling the waters of Iceland with Task Group 7.5. She was anchored at Hvalfjorour when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7.
A hurricane-force storm in January 1942 caused some damage to the USS Wichita when the winds blew nearby ships into her. After making temporary repairs there in Iceland, she proceeded to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York for more permanent repairs.
When USS Wichita returned to action, it was in the company of the carrier USS Wasp and the battleship USS Washington. Her task force reported to the Scapa Flow on April 4 to serve with the British Royal Navy. By the end of the month, the cruiser began escorting convoys and patrolling the waters of the North Atlantic.
On July 4, the convoy the USS Wichita was escorting received orders to scatter, due to attacks by German forces. The cruiser returned to the Fleet two days later. Shortly after her arrival at Hvalfjorour, she became the flagship of Task Force 99. She then headed to Scotland for repair work, but when it didn’t correct her problems, she proceeded to Brooklyn Navy Yard.
USS Wichita finished her yard work on September 5, and she arrived at Casco Bay, Maine in October for exercises. She joined Task Group 34.1 to screen the invasion forces bound for North Africa in Operation Torch. On November 8, the cruiser engaged with Vichy French forces off the coast of Casablanca. She sustained only minor damage from enemy fire, and 14 of her men received only minor injuries from shell fragments. Departing the area on November 12, she sailed for repair work in New York.
Once her repair work was completed, the USS Wichita was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Her first Pacific action was a torpedo attack off Rennell Island on January 29, 1943. She helped take down several Japanese aircraft, with only a dud torpedo headed straight for her.
In April, USS Wichita got underway for Adak, Alaska, serving as the flagship for Task Group 52.10. She led an offensive sweep off Attu as the flagship of Task Group 16.14. The cruiser was shifted to Task Group 16.7 to cover operations on Attu, also as flagship. When she moved on to bombard Kiska on July 22, she was the flagship of Task Group 16.21.
At the end of August, the USS Wichita sailed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington for repairs and overhaul. When her work was complete, she departed on December 3 for San Francisco, California and Pearl Harbor. From there, the cruiser sortied on January 16, 1944 to support the invasion of the Marshall Islands with Task Group 58.3.
Over the next month, USS Wichita supported operations on Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Truk. She became the flagship of Cruiser Division 6 on March 9 before screening the carriers during their strikes against Yap, Woleai, Palau, Hollandia, and Wakde.
In May, the USS Wichita trained at Majuro before heading to Kwajalein, which was to serve as the staging point for the Mariana Islands campaign. She bombarded Saipan and Guam in June prior to the Battle of the Philippine Sea, during which she scored at least two assists on enemy aircraft. Following the battle, the cruiser covered transports and escort carriers in the area into July.
After more bombardment missions on Guam, USS Wichita supported operations in the Palaus, the Carolines, the Philippines, and the Netherlands East Indies. She helped cover the troop landings at Morotai in September before heading to Luzon. The cruiser screened carrier operations in the Philippines until the end of the month.
On October 2, the USS Wichita got underway for a raid on Okinawa. From there, she moved on with the carriers as they struck at Luzon and Formosa. When the USS Canberra was damaged by enemy torpedoes, the cruiser took her under tow until she was relieved by a tug and joined the screen.
As Task Force 34 sped to the aid of American escort carriers off Samar, USS Wichita helped sink the Japanese aircraft carrier Chiyoda and the destroyer Hatsuzuki. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, she took up station to support the ground troops at Leyte. Safety issues sent the cruiser to San Pedro, California via Pearl Harbor for repairs, arriving there on December 15.
Once her work at Terminal Island Navy Yard in California was finished on February 8, 1945, the USS Wichita returned to Ulithi via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok. She joined Task Force 54 to support the invasion of Okinawa. After replenishing at Kerama Retto, she returned to Okinawa to cover the underwater demolition teams and bombard shore targets. On April 1, the cruiser provided fire support for the troop landings. She returned to Okinawa several times to continue her support of the campaign throughout the remainder of the war.
After World War II ended, USS Wichita supported occupation forces and aided in the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war (POWs). She then conducted Operation Magic Carper duty, carrying American veterans home from war.
The USS Wichita was decommissioned on February 3, 1947. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1959 and sold for scrap on August 14, 1959. The cruiser earned 13 battle stars for her service in World War II.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
Sources include:
Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences, by John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed
