He succeeded Rear admiral John F. Shafroth Jr. in command of Battleship Division Eight in June 1945 and later participated in the naval operations near the coast of Kyushu, Japan. Following the surrender of Japan, Sowell participated in the surrender ceremony aboard battleship "Missouri" on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay and then remained in the Japanese waters until the beginning of October 1945. He then led his division back to the United States, arriving to San Diego, California on October 22, 1945.