World War II 1943 Departing
Philadelphia, on 29 August 1943,
Cowpens arrived at
Pearl Harbor on 19 September to begin the active and distinguished war career which was to earn her a
Navy Unit Commendation. She sailed with
Task Force 14 for the strike on
Wake Island on 5–6 October, then returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for strikes on the
Marshall Islands preliminary to invasion. The ship was slightly damaged on 18 October in a collision with the destroyer while patrolling near Hawaii.
Abbot was much more heavily damaged, requiring three months to repair at Pearl Harbor.
Cowpens sortied from Pearl Harbor 10 November to launch air strikes on
Mille and
Makin atolls from 19 to 24 November, and
Kwajalein and
Wotje on 4 December, returning to her base on 9 December.
1944 Joining
Task Force 58,
Cowpens sailed from Pearl Harbor on 16 January 1944 for the invasion of the Marshalls. Her planes pounded Kwajalein and
Eniwetok the last three days of the month to prepare for the assault landing on 31 January. Using
Majuro as a base, the force struck at
Truk on 16–17 February and the
Mariana Islands on 21–22 February before putting into Pearl Harbor on 4 March. Returning to Majuro, Task Force 58 based here for attacks on the western
Carolines;
Cowpens supplied air and antisubmarine patrols during the raids on
Palau,
Yap,
Ulithi, and
Woleai from 30 March to 1 April. After operating off New Guinea during the invasion of
Hollandia from 21 to 28 April,
Cowpens took part in the strikes on Truk,
Satawan and
Ponape from 29 April to 1 May, returning to Majuro on 14 May for training. From 6 June to 10 July 1944,
Cowpens operated in the Marianas operation. Her planes struck the island of
Saipan to aid the assault troops, and made supporting raids on
Iwo Jima,
Pagan Island,
Rota, and
Guam. They also took part in the
Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19–20 June, accounting for a number of the huge tally of enemy planes downed. After a brief overhaul at Pearl Harbor,
Cowpens rejoined the fast carrier task force at Eniwetok on 17 August. Then, on 29 August, she sailed for the pre-invasion strikes on the Palaus, whose assault was an essential preliminary for the return to the
Philippines. From 13 to 17 September, she was detached from the force to cover the landings on
Morotai, then rejoined it for sweep, patrol, and attack missions against
Luzon from 21 to 24 September.
Cowpens, with her task group, sent air strikes to neutralize Japanese bases on
Okinawa and
Formosa from 10 to 14 October, and when and were hit by torpedoes,
Cowpens provided air cover for their safe withdrawal, rejoining her task group on 20 October. En route to Ulithi, she was recalled when the Japanese Fleet threatened the
Leyte invasion, and during the
Battle of Surigao Strait phase of the decisive
Battle for Leyte Gulf on 25–26 October, provided combat air patrol for the ships pursuing the fleeing remnant of the Japanese fleet. Continuing her support of the Philippines advance,
Cowpens' planes struck Luzon repeatedly during December. During the disastrous
Typhoon Cobra on 18 December,
Cowpens lost a man: ship's air officer
Lieutenant Commander Robert Price, several planes, and some equipment, but skillful work by her crew prevented major damage, and she reached Ulithi safely on 21 December to repair her storm damage.
1945 From 30 December 1944 to 26 January 1945,
Cowpens was at sea for the
Lingayen Gulf landings. Her planes struck targets on Formosa, Luzon, the
Indochinese coast and the Hong Kong-
Canton area and Okinawa during January. On 10 February,
Cowpens sortied from Ulithi for the Iwo Jima operation, striking the Tokyo area, supporting the initial landings from 19 to 22 February, and hitting Okinawa on 1 March. On 13 June, following an overhaul at San Francisco and training at Pearl Harbor,
Cowpens sailed on for
San Pedro Bay, Leyte. Along the way she struck Wake Island on 20 June. Rejoining Task Force 58,
Cowpens sailed from San Pedro Bay on 1 July to join in the final raids on the Japanese mainland. Her planes pounded Tokyo,
Kure, and other cities of
Hokkaidō and
Honshū until 15 August.
Cowpens was the first American carrier to enter Tokyo Harbor. Remaining off Tokyo Bay until the occupation landings began on 30 August,
Cowpens launched photographic reconnaissance missions to patrol airfields and shipping movements, and to locate and supply prisoner-of-war camps. Men from
Cowpens were the first Americans to set foot on the Japanese mainland, and were largely responsible for the emergency activation of Yokosuka airfield for Allied use and the liberation of a POW camp near Niigata. From 8 November 1945 to 28 January 1946
Cowpens made two voyages to Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Okinawa to return veterans on
"Magic Carpet" runs.
Post-war On 3 December 1946,
Cowpens was placed in commission reserve at Mare Island. On 15 May 1959, she was reclassified as an aircraft transport, with a new hull number,
AVT-1. Then, on 1 November, she was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register and sold for scrap. ==Awards==