USS Cowpens CVL-25

The USS Cowpens, nicknamed "The Mighty Moo," was an 11 thousand ton Independence class aircraft carrier. She was launched on January 7, 1943, commissioned on May 28, and was active in the U.S. Navy until 1947.

The USS Cowpens During World War II

The USS Cowpens departed Philadelphia on August 29, 1943 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on September 19. She began her war career sailing for the early-October strike on Wake Island, after which she returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for preliminary strikes on the Marshall Islands as a prelude to invasion. In December, the Cowpens was launching air strikes on Makin and Millie Atoll, Wotie and Kwailalein before returning to base on December 9.

In January 1944, the Cowpens sailed from Pearl Harbor as part of Task Force 58, a force that was involved in the invasion of the Marshall Islands. At the end of the month, her planes were launched against Eniwetok and Kwaialen to prepare for the assault landing on January 31.

In February, the Cowpens was based at Majuro and struck at Truk and the Marianas before returning to Pearl Harbor in early March. At the end of March, she returned to Majuro for attacks on the Western Carolines and raids on Yap, Ulathi, Palau and Woleai. During the invasion of Hollandia at the end of April, the Cowpens was operating off New Guinea and then participated in strikes on Satawan, Ponape, and Truk, before returning again to Majuro on May 14.

In June and early July, the Cowpens was involved in the Marianas operation where her planes aided assault troops on the island of Saipan. The vessel also supported raids on Iwo Jima, Rota, Guam and Pagan. The Cowpens took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19 and 20 as well. After brief repairs at Pearl Harbor, she prepared for pre-invasion strikes on the Palaus at the end of August.

In September, she helped cover landings at Morotai and then rejoined her task force against Luzon between September 21 and 24. Together with her task force group, the Cowpens helped neutralize Japanese bases at Formosa and Okinawa between October 10 and 14. When the Canberra and Houston were struck down by torpedoes, she was among the group that helped provide air cover to allow the damaged vessels to withdraw safely.

At the end of October, the USS Cowpens provided combat air patrol for ships pursuing Japanese fleets during the Battle of Surigao Strait, a phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf. In December, she continued to support the U.S. advance in the Philippines with air strikes on Luzon, but was damaged during the December 18 Typhoon Cobra. The Cowpens underwent preliminary repairs at sea and reached Ulithi on December 21 for more extensive repairs.

After the much-needed repairs were completed, the Cowpens traveled to provide support for the Lingaven Gulf landings. During January 1945, she launched planes that struck targets at Luzon, Formosa, the Indo-Chinese coast, Okinawa and the Hong Kong-Canton area. In early February, she aided in strikes against the Tokyo area to support initial landings at the end of the month and was again at Okinawa by March 1.

The Cowpens subsequently returned to San Francisco for an overhaul, after which she completed training at Pearl Harbor before traveling for San Pedro Bay in Leyte. Rejoining her task force, the Cowpens participated in what would be the final raids on the Japanese mainland, commencing on July 1. Until August 15, the ship's planes were engaged in air strikes on Tokyo, Kure, Hokkaido and Honshu. After that, the vessel was then stationed in Tokyo Bay until August 30, when occupation landings began.

During the intervening two weeks, she launched reconnaissance missions that patrolled airfields and shipping routes, and attempted to locate prisoner-of-war camps. Between November 8, 1945 and January 28, 1946, she voyaged to Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Okinawa to pick up veterans as part of "Magic Carpet" operations.

After World War II

On December 3, 1946, the Cowpens was placed on reserve at Mare Island. She was reclassified as an aircraft transport vessel on May 15, 1959, and redesignated AVT-1. However, just a few months later, she was stricken from the Navy list and scrapped. The USS Cowpens received a Navy Unit Commendation and 12 battle stars for her WWII service.

One important thing to note about Navy ships such as the USS Cowpens is that these ships often contained a large amount of asbestos, particularly in insulation and fireproofing materials. Exposure to asbestos while in service aboard Navy ships is unfortunately all-too-common. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the Cowpens CVL-25, or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, fill out the request form on this page to receive a free informational packet.

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