USS Cowpens

not to be confused with the light aircraft carrier

## USS Cowpens (CG-63)

USS Cowpens

**USS *Cowpens* (CG-63)** is a *Ticonderoga*-class guided missile cruiser in service with the United States Navy. The ship is named after the Battle of Cowpens, a major American victory near Cowpens, South Carolina, in the American Revolution. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. *Cowpens* is stationed at Naval Base San Diego.

### History

#### 1980s-1990s

*Cowpens'* keel was laid 23 December 1987, at Bath Iron Works; she was launched 11 March 1989, and sponsored by Lucy Mustin, wife of Vice Admiral Henry C. Mustin. *Cowpens* was commissioned 9 March 1991 in Charleston, South Carolina, In January 1993, *Cowpens* was one of four ships to launch Tomahawk missiles against a nuclear production facility in Iraq.

In June 1994, *Cowpens* deployed with USS *Kitty Hawk* (CV-63) and her Battlegroup to the Korean Peninsula during the 1994 Nuclear Crisis in the region. On 12 July, she took part in a search for wreckage from *NL-102*, an F-14A from VF-51 that crashed the previous night aboard *Kitty Hawk.* On 30 August, *Cowpens* was overflown by two ROCAF F-5 Tigers while moving to rejoin the *Kitty Hawk* Battlegroup following a port visit to British Hong Kong. Between 8-12 November, *Cowpens* and the *Kitty Hawk* Battlegroup joined with several JSMDF units to participate in ANNUALEX 06G. The Battlegroup returned on 22 December.

*Cowpens* made another deployment with *Kitty Hawk* on 11 October 1996. While making her way to the Persian Gulf in late November, the ship avoided Typhoon Carlo. During mid-December, a visit to Bahrain was cut short as *Cowpens* was ordered to observe the firing of Iranian C-802 cruise missiles from Jask. In January 1997, the ship would win her fifth Battle E award.

*Cowpens*'s ELINT crew detected a Chinese-flagged vessel on 3 February 1997. The vessel was smuggling Iraqi oil illegally in violation of UN Sanctions and was seized by USS *Nicholson* (DD-982) and USS *Cushing* (DD-985) in coordination with HSL-16 Det.8. On 8 February the ship took part in an exercise that successfully integrated the *Kitty Hawk* Battlegroup into the Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD), which included MIM-104 Patriot missile sites in Bahrain and USSPACECOM assets in space. The ship returned to San Diego on 11 April 1997.

#### 2000s

In August 2000, an Aegis fire controlman died when he fell from the main mast of *Cowpens*.

In March 2003, *Cowpens*, assigned to Carrier Group Five, became the first United States Navy ship to launch ordnance in the opening stages of the Iraq War, firing Tomahawk cruise missiles.

This ship was one of several participating in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

In June 2010, a quartermaster fell to his death from the bridge wing of *Cowpens* while the ship was in dry dock.

#### 2010s

*Cowpens* was scheduled to be decommissioned on 31 March 2013. However, *Cowpens* was retained under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. In February 2013, *Cowpens* was relieved by *Antietam* in a "hull-swap" at Yokosuka, Japan, in which the two crews swapped ships. *Cowpens*, previously deployed to Yokosuka, was then homeported at Naval Base San Diego, California. On 5 December 2013, *Cowpens* was involved in a minor confrontation with a Chinese warship that was escorting the Chinese aircraft carrier *Liaoning* while conducting surveillance of Chinese ships in International waters in the South China Sea. After *Cowpens* refused a Chinese demand to leave the area, a Chinese amphibious transport dock crossed directly in front of *Cowpens* and halted. The two vessels were barely 500 yards (460 m) away when the captain of *Cowpens* ordered "all stop". Chinese admiral Yin Zhuo said that the Chinese action was intentional and that American ships sent to observe PLAN maneuvers would be "blocked". Pentagon spokesman Steve Warren said that American procedures had not been changed in light of the incident, but defense analyst Tim Brown said that it reflected "a growing willingness by the Chinese to engage in potentially reckless behavior".

In September 2015, *Cowpens* transferred from Naval Surface Forces Command to Naval Sea Systems Command, where she will undergo a "modernization period", extending the serviceable life of the ship into the 2040s.

In the US Navy's 2024 proposed budget, presented in 2023, *Cowpens* was again proposed for retirement. Navy Undersecretary Erik Raven stated that this was due to the ship's "material condition, life remaining, cost, ... time to upgrade ... and the warfighting value."

### Awards

According to the US Navy unit awards website, *Cowpens* and her crew received the following awards:

* Navy E Ribbon, for 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2011.
* Meritorious Unit Commendation, for service with the *Kitty Hawk* battle group, November 1992 to April 1993.
* Meritorious Unit Commendation, for service with the *Kitty Hawk* battle group, July to December 1994.
* Spokane Trophy as the top operational surface warship in the Pacific Fleet, 1994.
* Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, for service in the Persian Gulf from January to February 1997.
* Meritorious Unit Commendation, for service with 5th Fleet and Task Force 50, August 1998.
* Meritorious Unit Commendation, for service with Carrier Group 5 in 2001.
* Humanitarian Service Medal, March to May 2011, during the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.