The crew of the USS Wichita has been in the city this week for a series of special events.

The tour was organized by the Wichita Area Navy League, with officers and crew from the ship making appearances at Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission meetings, and visiting area schools.   There is also a Welcome Home Banquet at the Kansas Aviation Museum on Thursday evening.   Commander Brett Ringo expressed thanks to the Wichita community for their support during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The USS Wichita is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship that was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2018 and commissioned the following year.   The ship, based in Mayport, Florida, has been deployed for operations to counter drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, mine counter-measures and anti-submarine warfare exercises.  It has a crew of 131 sailors.