USS Cowpens ( CVL - 25 ) USS " Cowpens " ( CV - 25 / CVL - 25 / AVT - 1 ) , nicknamed " The Mighty Moo " , was an 11 , 000 - ton that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947 . " Cowpens " , named for the Battle of Cowpens of the Revolutionary War , was launched on 17 January 1943 at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , in Camden , New Jersey , sponsored by Mrs . M . H . Spruance ( daughter of Fleet Admiral William F . Halsey , Jr . ) and commissioned on 28 May 1943 by Captain R . P . McConnell . She was reclassified CVL - 25 on 15 July 1943 . It completed its active service at the end of 1946 . Service history . 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 . She 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 3 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 in to 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 , she 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 . In addition to her Navy Unit Commendation , " Cowpens " received 12 battle star s for World War II service . Commemoration . Each year , the town of Cowpens , South Carolina , holds a 4 - day festival honoring veterans of " Cowpens " . " The Mighty Moo Festival " was first held in 1977 , with one crewmember of CVL - 25 attending . Since then , as many as 115 CVL - 25 veterans have attended the festival at once . Also , since the launch and commissioning of the in 1991 , the festival has included actively serving crewmen or women of CG - 63 sent by the ship ' s commanding officer , as well as previously serving veterans of CG 63 . The festival is held from Wednesday through Saturday preceding Father ' s Day each June . During the 1980s , the town of Cowpens , South Carolina , actively petitioned Congress to name another ship " Cowpens " , which may have played a direct role in choosing this name for CG - 63 .