USS Wichita (LCS 13)

USS Wichita (LCS-13) will be a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. It will be the third ship named after Wichita, the largest city in Kansas. The ceremonial “laying of the keel” was on 9 February 2015, at Marinette, Wisconsin. Sponsored by Kate Lehrer, wife of Wichita native Jim Lehrer, the ship was christened and launched on 17 September 2016. The naval crest of the ship incorporates elements of the Wichita flag, along with a buffalo skull and feathers representing the Native American heritage and wheat to reflect the state of Kansas's main crop.