USS Cowpens (CVL-25)

Independence class
Bow view of the USS Cowpens 1945.
Overview
Order	March 21, 1942
Keel laying	November 17, 1941
Launch	January 17, 1943
Commissioning	May 28, 1943
Decommissioning	January 13, 1947
Whereabouts	Reserve fleet; May 15, 1959: Re-registration as AVT-1; November 1, 1959: deleted from NVR ; 1960: sold for scrapping
Technical specifications
displacement	11,000 ts ( standard ) 13,000 ts (use)
length	189.7 m
width	21.8 m (waterline) 33.3 m (flight deck)
height	14 m (flight deck) 20.7 m (bridge) 35.7 m (mast)
Draft	7.9 m
crew	1,569
drive	4 steam boilers 4 steam turbines with single gear 100,000  shaft horsepower on 4 screws
speed	31.6  kn (≈59 km / h)
Range	5,800  nm (≈10,700 km) at 25 kn (≈46 km / h)
Armament	1945: 26 × 40 mm-L / 60 8 × 20-mm-L / 70
Planes	24 F6F Hellcat , 9 TBF Avenger
Callsign	November - Foxtrot - Lima - Quebec
Nickname	November - Foxtrot - Lima - Quebec

The USS Cowpens (CVL-25) (originally CV-25 ) was a light aircraft carrier of the US Navy and the fourth ship of the Independence class that through conversions of existing cruiser hulls of Cleveland class emerged. It is named after the Battle of Cowpens (1781), a battle of the  American Revolutionary War . As the first ship with this name in the US Navy, it was used in the Pacific theater of war during World War II . After the end of the war she was transferred to the reserve fleet. During the war, the Cowpens was the first US aircraft carrier to enter the South China Sea on January 10, 1945 and the first US aircraft carrier to enter Tokyo Bay on August 27 of the same year .

technology

More about the technology can be found in the article on the class under Independence class

The Cowpens was about 190 meters long, over 33 meters wide and, with an operational displacement of 13,000  ts, had a draft of almost eight meters. Her hull was based on that of the Cleveland- class cruiser and had to be widened due to the more massive superstructures, which it was hoped would significantly reduce the top-heaviness . Despite all the constructive measures, this could never be fully compensated. Although the Cowpens, as an Independence- class carrier, was only a little larger than the escort aircraft carrier , it mainly differed from them in terms of their powerful propulsion system, which made their range of applications similar to that of the large fleet aircraft carriers . The 100,000 hp engine system taken over from the cruisers  drove four propellers and brought the ship to a top speed of 31.6  knots .

The rectangular flight deck common at the time was approximately 174 meters long, 22.3 meters wide and had two deck elevators and a catapult . The island had to be kept small for reasons of stability, which meant that there was no single integrated chimney and instead four smaller ones were attached separately. This striking structure only accommodated the navigating bridge , while the operations center was located below the flight deck. The airborne squadron consisted mainly of two dozen F6F Hellcat fighters and nine Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers during their active service time .

In the course of the war were long wave - radars SK and SC-2 as well as the SG - microwave -Radar installed on the ship. Mounted on the island and on an additional mast between two of the chimneys, these devices enabled early warnings up to 180 km away. Cowpen's defensive armament consisted of 40 mm L / 60 and 20 mm L / 70 anti-aircraft guns, the number of which varied continuously during the war. In 1944, the 40 mm quadruple flak installed on the fuselage and stern were retrofitted with the Mk 51 fire control system , which could target approaching aircraft from a distance of more than 3.5 km and thus fight more efficiently.

period of service

Construction and commissioning

Launch of the cowpens

The ship was originally commissioned as the light cruiser USS Huntington (CL-77) and was laid down on November 17, 1941 at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden , New Jersey . After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent entry of the United States into World War II , there was a shortage of aircraft carriers in the US Navy. As a result, in January 1942 a plan that had been drawn up before the war was put into practice, according to which the existing cruiser hulls were to be converted into aircraft carriers. On March 21, 1942, the Huntington's fuselage was selected for conversion to an aircraft carrier.

After months of intensive renovation, the ship was christened and launched as USS Cowpens (registration number CV-25 ) on January 17, 1943 by Mrs. MH Spruance, daughter of Vice Admiral William F. Halsey . The name recalls the Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolutionary War on January 17, 1781 , which was won by US troops under Daniel Morgan . The name came about because a pharmacist from the small town of Cowpens in South Carolina wrote a letter to the then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt , requesting that an aircraft carrier be named after this important battle. Thus, the Cowpens became the second light aircraft carrier in the Navy to be named after a battle of the Revolutionary War. With the completion of the last construction work, the ship was transferred to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and, after further refitting, put into active service there on May 28, 1943 as the fourth carrier of the Independence class.

Maiden voyage and baptism of fire

Cowpens at sea on July 17, 1943

On July 15, 1943, she was re-registered as a light aircraft carrier (ID CVL ), which was also carried out by her sister ships USS Independence (CVL-22), USS Princeton (CVL-23), USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) and USS Monterey (CVL-26) concerned. The Cowpens left Philadelphia on August 29, 1943 and carried out test and training drives in the Caribbean . After graduation, she moved to the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal , where she arrived in Pearl Harbor on September 19th after a stopover in San Diego . Ten days later, as part of Rear Adm. Albert E. Montgomery's Task Force  14 , the Cowpens left Hawaii and headed for the island of Wake, which was occupied by Japanese troops . Together with the fleet carriers USS Essex (CV-9), USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Yorktown (CV-10), the sister ships USS Independence and USS Belleau Wood , the cruisers USS New Orleans (CA-32), USS San Francisco (CA-38), USS Birmingham (CL-62), USS Santa Fe (CL-60), USS Mobile (CL-63) and USS Nashville (CL-43) as well as 22 destroyers led the association on the 5th and 6th Air raid on the island on October 7th and returned to Pearl Harbor five days later. On October 18, the Cowpens , anchored in port, was accidentally rammed by the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Abbot (DD-629), with little damage to the carrier, while the destroyer had to drydock for the next three months.

Gilbert and Marshall Islands

As part of Operation Galvanic , the retaking of the Gilbert Islands , the Cowpens RAdm belonged. Charles A. Pownall's "Carrier Interceptor Force" (Task Group 50.1), which left Pearl Harbor on November 10, 1943. Other ships in this fleet were the USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Washington (BB-56), USS South Dakota (BB-49), USS Massachusetts (BB-54), USS New Orleans (CA-32), USS San Francisco (CA-38), USS San Juan (CL-54), USS Oakland (CL-95), USS Fletcher (DD-445), USS La Vallette (DD-448), USS Taylor (DD-468) and USS Nicholas (DD-449). The Task Group attacked the Mili and Makin atolls between November 19 and 24, and the Marshall Atolls Kwajalein and Wotje from December 4, and returned to Hawaii a few days later.

F6F Hellcat fighter planes warming up their engines, January 1944

After the turn of the year, the Cowpens Admiral Marc A. Mitschers TF 58 was assigned for the upcoming invasion of the Marshall Islands . Specifically, the ship was RAdm. "Ted" Shermans TG 58.3, which carries the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), the USS Monterey (CVL-26), the newer battleships USS Iowa (BB-61) and USS New Jersey ( BB-62) as well as the USS Wichita (CA-45) belonged. On January 16, 1944, the fleet left Pearl Harbor and carried out air strikes against Kwajalein, Eniwetok and Engebi in late January and early February . On February 3, TG 58.3 entered the previously conquered Majuro Atoll and was selected a week later, like TG 58.1 (RAdm. John W. Reeves ) and TG 58.2 (RAdm. Montgomery), for use in the upcoming Operation Hailstone . In this series of massive air strikes on February 16 and 17 on the Japanese naval and air force base on the Karolinen- Atoll Truk , around 50 ships and over 200 fighter planes were destroyed. Cowpens carrier aircraft and Bunker Hill were able to sink the cruiser Naka at this "Japanese Pearl Harbor" about 35  nm west of Truk ( 7 ° 15 ′  N , 151 ° 15 ′  E ) . In RAdm. Joseph J. Clarks TG 58.1 flew the carrier aircraft of the Cowpens at the end of March so-called Combat Air Patrols and carried out attacks against Japanese positions on the Palau Islands, Yap , Ulithi and Woleai . The unit anchored in Majuro Atoll was regrouped, so that Clarks TG 58.1 from the ships Hornet , Belleau Wood , Bataan , New Jersey , San Juan , Oakland , Santa Fe , Mobile , Boyd , Brown , Bradford , Gridley , Craven , McCall and Maury put it together. The task group went on to Hollandia , Dutch New Guinea , where it covered the landing of troops of the US Army under General Robert Eichelberger (April 21-29) as part of Operation Reckless . On the way back to Majuro, where the Cowpens arrived with their TG 58.1 on May 14th, their carrier aircraft flew attacks on Truk, Ponape and Satawan (April 29th and May 1st).

Mariana Islands and Palau Islands

For the impending invasion of the Mariana Islands , the Cowpens RAdm. William Harrills TG 58.4 assigned to the USS Essex (CV-9), the sister ship USS Langley (CVL-27), the cruisers USS Vincennes (CL-64), USS Houston (CL-81), USS Miami (CL- 89), USS San Diego (CL-53) and eleven destroyers. On June 6, 1944, the fleet lifted its anchor in the Majuro Atoll and set course for the Mariana Islands . TG 58.4 carrier aircraft sank 14 Japanese ships each in convoy on June 11 and 12 , supported the landings on Saipan and a few days later attacked the Bonin Islands of Chichijima and Iwojima . After the sighting of a Japanese fleet under Admiral Ozawa , which was heading for the Mariana Islands from the northwest, the US commander Admiral Spruance ordered his fleet to withdraw from its actual missions and joined the Japanese in the naval battle in the Philippine Sea (June 19 and 20) against which the Allies could decide for themselves. The Cowpens stayed with their formation in the area and flew mainly attacks against enemy positions on the islands of Rota , Pagan and Guam before they were ordered on July 10 for the necessary overhaul to Pearl Harbor.

Cowpens and her sister ship Independence in the background, August 31, 1944

In mid-August the Cowpens met the Fast Carrier Task Force again in Eniwetok , where they were assigned to TG 38.1 (Vice Admiral John McCain senior ) (including the carriers USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Hornet (CV-12) , USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Monterey (CVL-25)). Attacks on the Palau archipelago followed in preparation for the landings on Peleliu and Angaur planned for mid-September . Attacks on strategic positions on the Philippines islands of Mindanao , Visayas , Cebu and Negros were followed by air strikes on the island of Morotai , part of the Moluccas , where it supported the invasion that began on September 15 . After that, the association attacked targets on Luzon and Japanese ships in Manila Bay as well as the airfields Nichols Field and Clark Field from September 20 . After replenishing the fuel and provisions supplies on Manus , the fleet devoted itself to the Ryūkyū Islands and Formosa (present-day Taiwan) from October 10 , where it caused severe damage to airports and ports. When the two cruisers USS Canberra (CA-70) and USS Houston (CL-81) were badly damaged by a series of Japanese counter-attacks, Admiral McCain put the Cowpens and her sister ship USS Cabot (CVL-28) in the task unit 30.3.1, also known as "Crippled Division 1", to provide air protection to all damaged ships in retreat. After completing this mission, the Cowpens returned on the 20th of the month to TG 38.1, which set out two days later for Ulithi Atoll to pick up necessary supplies.

Sea battle in the Gulf of Leyte and Typhoon Cobra

→ Main article : Sea and air battles in the Gulf of Leyte

In the meantime, the recapture of the Philippines had begun with the landing of General Douglas MacArthur's US troops on the island of Leyte . On October 24, a strong Japanese fleet coming from the north was sighted, which forced Admiral William F. Halsey , the commander of Task Force 38 , to oppose the Japanese with all available forces (TG 38.2-4). The ensuing battle, however, was a diversionary maneuver, as two other enemy naval formations were heading from two sides towards the invasion fleet anchored in the Gulf of Leyte . TG 38.1 with Cowpens , hurrying to the rescue, helped defend Admiral Kurita's battleship fleet on October 25 and 26 and was able to enter Ulithi on October 30. The next few weeks the attacks against strategic Japanese positions in the Philippines, with a focus on Luzon, continued.

Cowpens in Typhoon Cobra

On December 18, the fleet was surprised by Typhoon Cobra . Caused by their structural deficiencies, rolled the Cowpens heavy in the of hurricanes raging sea. Against 10:51 in the morning the critical phase when a verzurrtes on deck began Hellcat -Jagdflugzeug triggered the anchors, slid from the flight deck and got stuck on the runway. The aviation fuel that escaped ignited and started a fire. However, the ship was only in danger for a short time, as the plane fell into the rough seas a few minutes later. When the ship later rolled to the starboard side , seawater penetrated the radio room through the yielding portholes, which damaged the radio system and rendered the radars and radio navigation systems unusable.

Because of the extremely poor visibility of only about half a ship's length at times, the Commander of the Cowpens , Captain George H. DeBaun, asked the commander of TG 38.1 for permission to leave the formation in order to avoid any collisions. RAdm. Albert Montgomery allowed this step and ordered two destroyers as escorts and command ships to the "blind" aircraft carrier, of which only the Halsey Powell could find the Cowpens in the heavy seas.

Another fire broke out in the auxiliary tank of a fighter plane sliding around on the flight deck, which eventually got caught in the catwalk. The extinguishing work turned out to be extremely difficult due to the strong rolling movements (up to 45 °), and in addition the wind was so unfavorable that the flames threatened to spread to the neighboring aircraft. DeBaun turned the cowpens around so the wind could push the flames towards the water and ordered the burning plane to be thrown overboard. After the loss of the radar antenna, the anemometer mounted on the mast also failed . A few minutes before that, wind speeds were around 120  kn (≈222 km / h). The Cowpens almost sank in the detonation of the front bomb magazine as several 2,000  pound (907 kg) bombs came loose from their makeshift fortifications. The resulting bang is said to have been heard on the navigation bridge seven decks away. To neutralize the danger posed by the rolling bombs, three volunteers reported, who secured the bombs with wooden blocks and ropes. This incident occurred because the anchorages in the bomb depots were not designed for these larger Army-Air Force bombs, which had only recently been on board.

Captain George H. DeBaun (center) and his predecessor Captain Herbert W. Taylor (left) during the transfer of command in November 1944. Note the ship's insignia and the display board painted on the island.

Towards evening the typhoon subsided and the situation improved. Only now did it become apparent that there was not only material damage, but also a loss of life. It was Lieutenant Commander Robert Price, the Air Group commander , who was believed to have been washed overboard. The last time Price had been seen pushing a burning plane from the flight deck with other sailors. The ship's instruments determined maximum roll movements of 45 ° to port and up to 50 ° to starboard. Reason for this difference was a design-related 5 ° - list to starboard, all Independence carrier had.

“We were rolling to such an extent that on each roll to starboard the flight deck edge would hit green water on the starboard side. The rolls to port were almost as bad but always about five degrees less due to our built-in starboard list. On the big rolls one could reach down from the starboard wing of the bridge and touch green water as we rolled to starboard. "

“We rolled so hard that every time we moved to starboard, the flight deck almost plowed through the water. The pitch to port was almost as bad, but due to the starboard list due to the design, it was at least five degrees lower. During the larger rolling movements to starboard, one could stand on the bridge railing and reach into the water with an outstretched arm. "

- Rear Adm. George H. DeBaun

Typhoon Cobra capsized three Task Force destroyers and claimed 790 lives. In addition to the Cowpens , the identical aircraft carriers USS Monterey (CVL-26), USS Cabot (CVL-28) and USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) as well as other destroyers were damaged. The Cowpens arrived at Ulithi on December 21 at reduced speed , where the necessary repairs could be carried out.

1945

After the repairs were completed, TG 38.1 (RAdm. Arthur W. Radford ; including the USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Yorktown (CV-10)) left Cowpens on 30 December the Carolines. This was followed by air strikes on Formosa and Luzon to the from 9 January as part of Operation Mike I held invasion of Luzon to cover in the Gulf of Lingayen. The association then headed for the South China Sea , only to attack Japanese ships and airfields in occupied French Indochina a few days later . The most important destinations were in Saigon , Cam Ranh Bay , Quy Nhơn and Tourane . Attacks on Japanese bastions in Hong Kong , Hainan and Canton followed between January 15 and 16 , and five days later on the Pescadoren and Sakishima Islands and again on Luzon and Formosa. After photo reconnaissance flights over Okinawa, among others, TG 38.1 returned to Ulithi at the end of January. On February 10th, the Cowpens left in RAdm. Frederick Shermans TG 58.3 ( Essex and Bunker Hill ) Ulithi and began air raids on Greater Tokyo a week later. The carrier also supported the invasion of Iwojima, which began a few days later . After further attacks against targets in Japan, another air strike against Okinawa followed on March 1. After that, came Cowpens via Ulithi to San Francisco and became there at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard an overhaul subjected.

Cowpens in Tokyo Bay. The Fuji can be seen in the background .

After training trips around Hawaii, the Cowpens became RAdm. Ralph E. Jennings TG 12.4, which still consists of the ships USS Hancock (CV-19), USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Rhind (DD-404), USS Benson (DD-421), USS Mayo (DD -422), USS Alfred A. Cunningham (DD-752) and USS John A. Bole (DD-755). The association left Pearl Harbor on June 13 and carried out an air strike on Wake during its crossing to San Pedro Bay (Philippines) a week later, the sixth of a total of eight Allied attacks on this island act. A few days after their return to the Philippines, the Cowpens RAdm. Assigned to Arthur Radford's Task Group 38.4 and set sail for Japan in early July. Together with the fleet carriers USS Shangri-La (CV-38), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and USS Essex (CV-9), the light aircraft carrier made the final blow against the main Japanese islands from, with a focus on Hokkaidō and Honshū as well as the port cities of Kure , Nagoya and Osaka . After the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, carrier aircraft of the Cowpens carried out surveillance and reconnaissance flights over Honshu, during which a search was also made for POW camps . On August 27, the Cowpens became the first US Navy aircraft carrier to enter Tokyo Bay , and its crewmembers were among the first US soldiers to victoriously set foot on Japanese soil. After the handover of the nearby Yokosuka Naval Base to soldiers of the 6th Marine Division and the Royal Marines on August 30th, their crew members participated in the quick reactivation of the nearby airfield and freed Allied prisoners of war from a camp near Niigata .

post war period

After completing further surveillance voyages in Japanese waters, the Cowpens made several voyages across the Pacific between November 8, 1945 and January 28, 1946 in order to transport US soldiers back home as part of Operation Magic Carpet .

On December 3, 1946, the light aircraft carrier was transferred to the reserve fleet at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and decommissioned a few weeks later on January 13, 1947. On May 15, 1959, it was re-registered as an aircraft transport ship ( hull number AVT-1 ), but already deleted from the Naval Vessel Register on November 1 , without having undertaken a single voyage in this function. A year later the ship was sold for scrapping.

In their three and a half years of service, the Cowpens received twelve Battle Stars and a Navy Unit Commendation , which was awarded on June 11, 1946 by the US Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal .

See also

• USS Cowpens (CG-63)
• List of historical aircraft carriers
• List of US Navy aircraft carriers

literature

• Stefan Terzibaschitsch : US Navy aircraft carrier - fleet aircraft carrier / escort aircraft carrier . 3. Edition. Bernard & Graefe, Bonn 2001, ISBN 3-7637-6200-0 .

Web links

Commons : USS Cowpens  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• History of USS Cowpens (CVL-25) in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (English)
• USS Cowpens on the website of the Nine Sisters Light Carrier Historical Documentary Project (English)
• USS Cowpens Veterans (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} CVL Radio & Flag Call Signals. In: www.ninesisters.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013 ; Retrieved February 24, 2008 . 
2. ↑ Famous USS Cowpens 'Firsts': In: USS Cowpens (CVL-25) - The Mighty Moo. Retrieved March 3, 2008 (archive version). 
3. ^ J. Ed Hudson: A History of the USS CABOT (CVL-28): A Fast Carrier in World War II . 1986, p. 165 ( stexboat.com [accessed February 24, 2008]).
4. ↑ CVL-25 Cowpens - WW II combat actions. In: pacific.valka.cz. Retrieved February 24, 2008 . 
5. ↑ TF 58, "HAILSTONE" - Truk raid. In: pacific.valka.cz. Retrieved February 24, 2008 . 
6. ↑ Hans Christian Adamson: Halsey's Typhoons - A first hand account of how two typhoons, more powerful than the Japanese, dealt death and destruction to Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet . New York 1967 (online at usshancockcv19.com [accessed February 27, 2008] excerpt).
7. ↑ USS Cowpens Navy Unit Citation. In: USS Cowpens (CVL-25) - The Mighty Moo. Retrieved March 3, 2008 (archive version). 

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on March 20, 2008 .