Photographs show Wichita's eight five-inch guns divided between enclosed and open positions around the ship. For surface action, the enclosed positions probably received director information more easily and sheltered their mechanisms from weather. The surrounding star pattern placed secondary guns around the hull while the main battery remained concentrated fore and aft. That arrangement foreshadowed the secondary layout used on later wartime US cruisers.
Notable Point · 22:58-24:08
The star secondary layout used by wartime US cruisers
Wichita's five-inch positions form the star arrangement that became characteristic of US cruiser secondary batteries during World War II.