A class name does not necessarily identify the first ship commissioned. Little and Fairfax entered service on the same day, with Little completing first in the account given here. That precedence helps explain the use of Little as an alternative class label. Wickes itself was only the fourteenth ship commissioned, with its entry into service placed in late August 1918.
Notable Point · 53:29-54:11
Wickes was the fourteenth of its class to commission
The Little and Fairfax commissioning sequence explains an alternative class name and why Wickes was not the first ship in service.