Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - "Wichita" akapedza mwedzi mitanhatu yakatevera achibatanidzwa mumibato kunze kwechiteshi chake chokumusha. Izvi zvaibatanidza kurovedzwazve, kuwedzerwazve kwezvikepe, uye kushanyira zviteshi zvengarava kune zvimwe zviteshi zvengarava zveAmerica neCanada. Akapindawo sezvo rutsigiro chikepe ari miedzo kuitwa pamusoro itsva Mark 48 chombo. Musi waAugust 7, akaenda kuLong Beach kunoshanda kechipiri ne7th Fleet. Yakasvika muSubic Bay musi wa24 uye yakatanga kufamba kwayo yokutanga musi wa31. Pashure penguva mbiri dzomugove pedyo neVietnam, "Wichita" akashanyira Sattahip, Thailand, mukupera kwaOctober. Dzimwe nguva mbiri dzomutsetse dzakatevera muna November uye mukuvamba kwaDecember. Musi wa 10 December, zvisinei, akagamuchira mirairo yokubatana neTask Force 74, boka revanosungirwa kuenda kuIndian Ocean mushure mehondo yeIndo-Pakistani.
. Akagara muIndian Ocean kusvikira kutanga kwaJanuary 1972 panguva iyo zvikepe zvose zvakadzokera kunzvimbo inoshanda kubva kumhenderekedzo yeVietnam. "Wichita", zvisinei, pashure porwendo rwenguva pfupi zvikuru pachiteshi kure neVietnam akaenda kuSubic Bay nokuda kwokuchengetwa kwaidikanwa zvikuru. Akaita mumwe mutsetse wekushandura kuYankee Station munaFebruary uye akabva adzokera kuLong Beach, kwaakasvika musi waMarch 31. "Wichita" akaramba ari muUnited States kwenguva yakareba bedzi kuti abvumire mwedzi wenguva dzose wezororo rapashure pokuendeswa uye kuchengetedza uye kuita zvimwe zvigadziridzo zvikuru paHunters Point Naval Shipyard.