Tuesday, February 25, 2014

USS Cowpens (CV-25, CVL-25, AVT-1)


Figure 1:  USS Cowpens (CV-25) photographed by the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 25 June 1943. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.



Figure 2:  USS Cowpens (now CVL-25) underway at sea on 17 July 1943. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image. 



Figure 3:  USS Cowpens (CVL-25) underway at sea on 17 July 1943. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.




Figure 4:  USS Cowpens (CVL-25) en route to take part in the Palaus operation, 31 August 1944. She is wearing camouflage Measure 33, Design 7a. Carrier in the distance (in camouflage Measure 32, Design 8a) is USS Independence (CVL-22). Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.



Figure 5:  USS Cowpens (CVL-25) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 12 May 1945, following overhaul. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6:  Grumman F6F "Hellcat" fighters warming up on the flight deck of  USS Cowpens (CVL-25) while the carrier was operating with Task Group 58.3 during raids on the Marshall Islands, circa January 1944. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image. 


Figure 7:  A TBM "Avenger" torpedo plane lands on board USS Cowpens (CVL-25), at the time of the Marshall-Gilbert Islands raids, November-December 1943. Note flight deck barrier rigged in the foreground. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image. 


Figure 8:  Pilot evacuates his burning F6F-3 fighter on board USS Cowpens (CVL-25) after landing unaware that it was on fire during the Gilberts Operation, 24 November 1943. Firefighters are rushing to the plane and put out the flames in a minute and a half, with no casualties. The fire started as the "Hellcat" approached Cowpens for an emergency landing. The pilot was Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Alfred W. Magee, Jr., USNR. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9:   Crewmen on the flight deck of USS Cowpens (CVL-25) looking aft toward the carrier's island during raids on the Marshall Islands, November-December 1943. Note the crane and other features on and around the island. Radar antennas atop the foremast include "SC" (larger antenna, in front); "SG" (small antenna, in middle). A "YE" homing beacon antenna is mounted on the topmast. Large radar antenna behind the island is an "SK." Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image. 



Figure 10:  Ship's Marines line up on the flight deck of USS Cowpens (CVL-25) for physical drill, circa mid-1943. Planes on the flight deck include F6F, SBD, and TBM types. Note "SK" radar antenna mounted on the stub mast between the stacks and inflatable life belts worn by many of the men on deck. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Named after a battle fought during the American Revolutionary War, the 11,000-ton USS Cowpens (CVL-25) was an Independence Class small aircraft carrier that was built by the New York Shipbuilding Company at Camden, New Jersey, and was commissioned on 28 May 1943. The ship was approximately 622 feet long and 71 feet wide, had a top speed of 32 knots, and had a crew of 1,560 officers and men. Cowpens was armed with 26 40-mm guns and 16 20-mm guns, and could carry roughly 30 aircraft (depending on their size).

After being commissioned with the hull number CV-25, Cowpens was re-designated CVL-25 (for light aircraft carrier) on 15 July 1943. After her shakedown cruise, Cowpens was transferred to the US Pacific Fleet in September and her aircraft launched their first attack on 5 October against Japanese-held Wake Island. Cowpens then participated in the American invasion of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands from November 1943 to February 1944. The ship’s planes were assigned primarily to combat air patrols and anti-submarine operations, but her aircraft did attack enemy targets on land as well.

From February to May 1944, Cowpens was attached to the US Fifth Fleet, which attacked Japanese targets in the central Pacific and New Guinea. In June 1944, Cowpens took part in the Marianas campaign, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and continued supporting amphibious operations in that area until July. After a brief overhaul at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Cowpens rejoined the fast carrier task forces on 17 August. On 29 August, Cowpens participated in the pre-invasion air strikes on the Palau Islands, which was the last stop before the invasion of the Philippines.

From 13 to 17 September 1944, Cowpens supported the amphibious assault on Morotai, one of Java’s (now Indonesia’s) northernmost islands. On 21 September, the carrier began offensive air operations against Luzon in the Philippines. From 10 to 14 October, Cowpens and her task force attacked Japanese bases on Okinawa and Formosa (present-day Taiwan). Towards the end of October, Cowpens’ aircraft also provided vital air cover for American warships during the pivotal Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. The carrier’s combat activities continued into January and February 1945, with raids on targets in the South China Sea and the Philippines. Cowpens also provided air support for the amphibious assaults on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

After returning to the United States for an overhaul at San Francisco, California, Cowpens sailed back to active duty in the Pacific in June 1945. During the last months of the war, Cowpens’ aircraft pounded Wake Island and targets on the Japanese home islands. After supporting the occupation of Japan after the war ended in August 1945, Cowpens transported American troops home from the Pacific from late 1945 to early 1946. Cowpens was decommissioned in January 1947 and spent the rest of her Navy career in the Reserve Fleet. In May 1959, the ship was briefly re-classified as an aircraft transport and was re-designated AVT-1. But the carrier was sold for scrapping a year later. USS Cowpens received 12 battle stars for her service during World War II.