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USS Cowpens (CG 63)

USS COWPENS was the 17^th TICONDEROGA class guided missile cruiser and the fifth ship in that class built by Bath Iron Works in Maine. In January 2013, the COWPENS was relieved as a forward deployed naval unit by her sistership ANTIETAM (CG 54). During the hull swap, the crew of the COWPENS took over the ANTIETAM and the ANTIETAM crew sailed the COWPENS back to San Diego, Calif. Later, the COWPENS was laid up at San Diego, Calif., as part of the Navy's Cruiser Phased Modernization Program. The ship was planned to later undergo modernization and return to service by 2021, replacing an older sistership. The program was designed to follow a 2-4-6 plan meaning that each year no more than two cruisers would be placed in phased modernization; no cruiser would remain in phased modernization for more than 4 years; and no more than six cruisers were supposed to be in phased modernization at the same time. During the lay up, the ship was maintained by a small 45-sailor crew.

Despite all the millions of dollars already spent for the modernization of USS COWPENS, in March 2024 the Navy announced plans to decommission the ship. A decommissioning ceremony was conducted at San Diego, Calif., on August 27, 2024. The ship was officially decommissioned on August 30. COWPENS was subsequently towed to Pearl Harbor, Hi., for lay-up.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS COWPENS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

• Click here to view the list.

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• Click here to see which USS COWPENS memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS COWPENS Cruise Books:

• WestPac / Arabian Sea Cruise Book 1996-97
• WestPac Cruise Book 2004-05
• WestPac Cruise Book 2014

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

The shield's dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Navy. Red denotes valor and sacrifice, while white represents high ideals. The three wavy bars refer to the sea, the USS COWPENS area of operations; and allude to the three lines of attack used by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan at Cowpens, South Carolina, in 1781. The previous USS COWPENS (CVL 25) service in World War II is honored by the circle of twelve battle stars. The Navy sword symbolizes a heritage of service and the vertical launch capabilities of CG 63. The wedge, or pile, symbolizes the spearhead of Morgan's attack and the vertical launch capabilities of the Aegis Cruiser; the jagged edge denotes the terrain of felled trees and rough fences making up the battle field at Cowpens.

The Crest:

The crest's muskets with attached bayonets emphasize the victory at Cowpens was won by the close combat of sustained fire and bayonet attack, and the drum suggests the Revolutionary War call to arms. The first eagle & stripes flag and the Maryland Regimental flag were flown at the Battle of Cowpens. The skyward spikes characterize the combat air support and strike capabilities of CVL 25 and the Aegis Weapons System of CG 63. CVL 25 earned the Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service, represented by the spike colors of blue, gold, red, & green.

The Motto:

The ship's motto is "Victoria Libertatis Vindex", Latin for "Victory Vindicates Liberty". The phrase was originally inscribed on a medal awarded to General Morgan by the French government for his brilliant tactics and leadership at the Battle of Cowpens.

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Accidents aboard USS COWPENS:

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USS COWPENS History:

USS COWPENS was commissioned at Charleston, South Carolina, on March 9, 1991, following delivery from Bath Iron Works on November 16, 1990. Through spring and summer 1991, the ship completed shakedown, combat-systems trials, and a transit to the Pacific, establishing an operating rhythm with Naval Base San Diego as home port.

In 1992, COWPENS joined the KITTY HAWK (CV 63) battle group for integrated air-defense and strike warfare workups and departed June 22, 1992, to participate in RIMPAC 1992 in Hawaiian waters, executing multi-threat exercises and force-air-defense scenarios before returning to the West Coast in early August. In the autumn the cruiser rejoined the carrier for deployment preparations that would carry the battle group to Fifth and Seventh Fleet waters as post-Gulf War enforcement matured.

COWPENS entered the Arabian Gulf at the turn of the year. According to the ship's command history, she was in port Dubai, U.A.E., January 1-5, 1993, then resumed station. On January 17, 1993, during coalition strikes responding to Iraqi no-fly-zone violations, COWPENS launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Arabian Gulf. Concurrent Navy shooters included destroyers USS HEWITT (DD 966) and USS STUMP (DD 978), with USS CARON (DD 970) firing from the Red Sea. The cruiser made a brief stop at Jebel Ali later in January to reload missiles and continued Operation Southern Watch support and maritime security until completing turnover. She returned from the six-month Fifth/Seventh Fleet deployment on May 3, 1993, and reset in San Diego across the summer and fall.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula shaped the next deployment. In June 1994, COWPENS sailed with USS KITTY HAWK to Northeast Asia during the nuclear crisis. On July 12, 1994, she assisted in the search for a VF-51 F-14A that crashed the previous evening. After a late-August liberty in Hong Kong, the group conducted ANNUALEX 06G with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on November 8-12, 1994, then returned on December 22, 1994. For sustained combat-systems readiness across the period, COWPENS received the Spokane Trophy (1994), announced in April 1995, recognizing the Pacific Fleet's top operational surface combatant in combat-systems performance.

The ship deployed with the KITTY HAWK Battle Group on October 11, 1995, for a Fifth Fleet cruise focused on Southern Watch and Gulf maritime security, making the usual logistics calls in Bahrain and Jebel Ali and transiting the Strait of Hormuz as air operations continued. COWPENS again deployed on October 11, 1996. En route west she skirted Typhoon Carlo in late November, then in mid-December cut short a planned Bahrain visit to observe Iranian C-802 anti-ship missile firings from Jask, a tasking that reflected heightened regional interest in coastal defense systems. In January 1997, the cruiser earned her fifth Battle "E". On February 3, 1997, COWPENS' ELINT team detected a Chinese-flagged sanctions-violator smuggling Iraqi oil. Coordinated action by USS NICHOLSON (DD 982) and USS CUSHING (DD 985) effected the seizure. On February 8, 1997, the ship took part in a theater ballistic-missile-defense integration event linking the KITTY HAWK group with Patriot batteries in Bahrain and USSPACECOM assets. The ship returned to San Diego on April 11, 1997.

COWPENS remained a frequent Gulf deployer in 1998, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation for service with Fifth Fleet and Task Force 50 in August 1998 and supporting increased enforcement activities leading up to Operation Desert Fox (December 16-19, 1998). The ship continued Western Pacific and Indian Ocean presence through 1999 but executed a major homeport change: departed San Diego on June 2, 1999, and arrived Yokosuka, Japan, on June 29, 1999, joining the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF-Japan) aligned to the KITTY HAWK/Carrier Group Five construct. The homeport shift placed COWPENS on the high-tempo Seventh Fleet patrol cycle - frequent Philippine Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea operations; recurrent combined exercises with the JMSDF such as ANNUALEX; and logistics and liberty calls at hubs including Hong Kong, Singapore, Pusan/Busan, and Guam.

In 2000, the ship settled fully into the FDNF pattern. Routine upkeep and pier-side maintenance were interleaved with patrols and bilateral training. In August 2000 the command recorded a fatal fall from the mainmast, an accident that prompted safety reviews alongside the ongoing operational schedule. By year's end, crew qualifications, certifications, and the strike-group training rhythm placed COWPENS in position for the post-9/11 operational demands that would dominate the following decade.

In 2001, the ship alternated Seventh Fleet patrols with combined training alongside the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and, after September 11, shifted to heightened readiness for Operation Enduring Freedom. The Western Pacific pattern that year - carrier escort, air-defense commander tasking, and port logistics through hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong - reflected the theater's rapid pivot to post-9/11 operations, including maritime security in the South China Sea and Strait of Malacca.

In 2002, COWPENS continued WestPac patrols, exercised with regional navies, and joined large-force training with KITTY HAWK. Late in the year, as the carrier group staged for operations farther west, the strike group made a short Hong Kong liberty period in late November before moving toward the Indian Ocean.

On January 20, 2003, COWPENS got underway from Yokosuka with the KITTY HAWK battle group for deployment that led into Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 20, 2003, the cruiser fired Tomahawk land-attack missiles in the Gulf at the outset of the campaign - among the first U.S. Navy salvos of the war - and remained on station through the initial combat phase. The battle group was continuously at sea from January 20 until May 6, 2003, when it completed the deployment.

In early 2004, the ship completed a Ship Repair Facility dry-dock in Yokosuka, then resumed Seventh Fleet operations and regional engagement.

During 2005, COWPENS remained in the KITTY HAWK formation, taking part in recurring exercises with the JMSDF and making another Hong Kong port call at the end of February as the group rotated through liberty ports before sea periods in the Philippine Sea.

In 2006, the cruiser balanced routine patrols with contingency training. On March 22, 2006, the crew conducted anti-terrorism/force-protection drills on the Yokosuka pier, a standard FDNF evaluation event. In early April, COWPENS participated in a humanitarian-assistance/disaster-relief interoperability exercise off Guam with visiting Russian Navy ships following their port visit, a precursor to later real-world HA/DR missions in the region. Through August the ship continued close operations with KITTY HAWK.

In November 2007, COWPENS was among KITTY HAWK escorts affected when China denied - and then belatedly reversed - Thanksgiving liberty in Hong Kong. The group had already returned toward Japan, underscoring the diplomatic sensitivities around U.S. port visits at the time.

In 2008, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) relieved KITTY HAWK as the forward-deployed carrier. COWPENS shifted seamlessly into the GEORGE WASHINGTON carrier strike group, participating in the fall patrol and returning to Yokosuka on November 22 with the destroyers of DESRON 15 and sister cruiser SHILOH. From 2009 into 2010, the ship continued WestPac patrols and certifications. On January 13, 2010, the Navy relieved COWPENS' commanding officer after an investigation into crew maltreatment - an administrative action that triggered leadership turnover and command climate reforms. On June 24, 2010, during a dry-dock period at Yokosuka, a quartermaster died after a fall from the bridge wing; the incident was investigated and publicly acknowledged.

In March-April 2011 COWPENS deployed with USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) and other Seventh Fleet units for Operation Tomodachi following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The multi-ship force - which included RONALD REAGAN, CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62), SHILOH (CG 67), JOHN S. MCCAIN (DDG 56), FITZGERALD (DDG 62), STETHEM (DDG 63), McCAMPBELL (DDG 85), PREBLE (DDG 88), MUSTIN (DDG 89), amphibious ships, and MSC logistics vessels - conducted search, logistics, and port-clearance support along Japan's northeast coast.

In 2012, the cruiser joined GEORGE WASHINGTON for patrols and visited Hong Kong on July 10.

A planned inactivation in 2013 was rescinded by Congress, and on February 2013, COWPENS and ANTIETAM (CG 54) executed a hull-swap at Yokosuka: ANTIETAM assumed the Japan billet while COWPENS shifted homeport to San Diego with a new crew. After arriving in San Diego on October 4, 2013, the ship quickly redeployed to the Western Pacific. In November, as part of the GEORGE WASHINGTON strike group, COWPENS supported Operation Damayan, the U.S. relief effort after Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, delivering supplies alongside ANTIETAM, MUSTIN (DDG 89), and other group ships. On December 5, 2013, while monitoring Chinese naval activity in the South China Sea near the carrier LIAONING, COWPENS was forced to take evasive action when a Chinese amphibious ship cut across her bow at close range - an incident both governments publicly acknowledged.

In 2014, the ship concluded the Western Pacific deployment and underwent additional command changes; the Navy relieved COWPENS’ commanding officer on June 10 after a series of inspection failures during the cruise, with subsequent administrative actions for senior staff. The turbulent leadership year closed as the Navy began to plan a deep modernization period for the aging TICONDEROGA - class.

On September 25, 2015, the Navy formally inducted COWPENS into the Cruiser Phased Modernization Program during a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego - the first ship to enter the long-term "layup then modernize" approach intended to preserve air-defense commander capacity for carrier strike groups into the 2030s–2040s. Work packages encompassed hull, mechanical, and electrical overhauls as well as combat-systems upgrades aligned to contemporary AEGIS baselines.

From 2016 through 2019, the ship remained in an extended modernization availability at San Diego, with contract awards and yard assignments shifting among local industry partners as scopes were refined. On August 15, 2018, the Navy awarded General Dynamics NASSCO a $147.6 million package supporting COWPENS' modernization, one of several large awards across the cruiser portfolio.

Program delays and cost growth followed into 2020-2023 as the Navy reassessed cruiser service-life extension plans. NAVSEA acknowledged schedule pressure across the class, with COWPENS among the ships facing prolonged yard time. Between March 2023 and March 2024, Navy leadership proposed moving COWPENS to earlier inactivation based on material condition and remaining service value relative to budget.

The Navy announced an FY24 inactivation for COWPENS in March 2024. A decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on August 27, 2024, marked the end of 33 years in commission.

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Homeports of USS COWPENS:

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USS COWPENS Patch Gallery:

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USS COWPENS Image Gallery:

The photo below was taken by Michael Nebel and shows USS COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., in 1998.

The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson and show the COWPENS at Fremantle, Australia. The photos were taken on August 7, 2006 (the first photo) and August 11, 2006. At the time, COWPENS was assigned to the KITTY HAWK (CV 63) Strike Group.

The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson and show the COWPENS arriving at Fremantle, Australia, on July 2, 2009, as part of the GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Strike Group. The last photo shows COWPENS one day later in the harbor. This was COWPENS' third visit to Western Australia.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee during USS COWPENS's port visit to Hong Kong July 10 - 15, 2012, while the ship was assigned to the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Strike Group.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee during USS COWPENS's port visit to Hong Kong November 8 - 12, 2013, while the ship was assigned to the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) Strike Group. The port visit was cut short when the ships were ordered to proceed to the Philippines to provide disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

The photo below was taken by Lydia Perz and shows the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 3, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 27, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on October 2, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, Calif., on April 18, 2016. The COWPENS is presently involved in the Navy's Cruiser Phased Modernization Program which means that the ship is presently laid up and maintained by a small 45-person crew. The ship will later undergo modernization and return to service by 2021, replacing an older sistership. At BAE, the COWPENS undergoes a special Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) after she had completed a six-month guided-missile cruiser Phased Modernization program Induction Continuous Maintenance Availability (I-CMAV) at Naval Base San Diego. The program follows a 2-4-6 plan meaning that each year no more than two cruisers will be placed in phased modernization; no cruiser will remain in phased modernization for more than 4 years; and no more than six cruisers may be in phased modernization at the same time.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS undergoing her special Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair on October 6, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 20, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS undergoing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at the NASSCO Shipyard at San Diego, Calif., on October 11, 2017.

The photo below was taken by Sebastian Thoma and shows the COWPENS undergoing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at the NASSCO Shipyard at San Diego, Calif., on November 10, 2017.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS undergoing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at the NASSCO Shipyard at San Diego, Calif., on December 29 and 30, 2017.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on September 28, 2018.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the COWPENS drydocked at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. San Diego, Calif., on March 2, 2019. She is presently undergoing her modernization period availability.

The photos below were taken by Sebastian Thoma and show the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on November 29, 2021.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 28, 2021.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on October 10, 2022.

The photos below were taken by me and show USS COWPENS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on July 26, 2024.

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