COWPENS — The Battle of Cowpens might have been almost 250 years ago, but a warship named after it just recently stopped sailing the seas.
The U.S. Navy retired the USS Cowpens, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, on Aug. 27 during a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego.
Built in Maine and officially launched in Charleston in 1991, the ship took part in notable military operations such as the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
The ship was the second named the USS Cowpens. The first sailed for four years during World War II, from 1943-47.
Teresa Clark, the clerk for the Town of Cowpens, also named for the battle, was at the event with other town leaders. Clark, who grew up in Cowpens, attended the ship’s launch over three decades ago and was sad to see its journey end.
“It was (a) quiet and somber experience,” Clark said. “It was kind of sad but at the same time it was good to see the ship and the crewmen.”
Clark added that memorabilia from the ship will be sent to the town for display at the Cowpens Depot Museum and Civic Center, which has a wing dedicated to the two ships.
Cowpens’ commanding officer, Cmdr. Jac O. Ullman III, said in a press release the guiding principle during the ship’s last chapter was to honor the legacy of Cowpens.
“To honor the grit, determination, and creativity of the Continental Army and Militiamen from that cold battlefield,” Ullman said.
Now decommissioned, the ship will be towed to the Navy’s Inactive Ship facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where it will be in a Logistic Support Asset status.
The first USS Cowpens earned the nickname, “The Mighty Moo.” This served as inspiration for the Mighty Moo Festival in Cowpens. The annual festival is held on the third week of June and honors the crew of its namesake.
Clark said she expects the festival to only grow thanks to the connections made with service members during the decommissioning ceremony in August. She said nothing else about the festival should change.
“We look forward to the festival continuing,” she said. “We don’t look in any way that it will hinder the festival.”
The battle that the ships were named after was on Jan. 17, 1781, in what is now Cherokee County.
American revolutionary forces led by Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan won against Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton and British forces in what is seen as a pivotal point of the American Revolutionary War in the South.
Named after the site of the battle, pastureland and cow pens that are preserved at Cowpens National Battlefield, the battle is regarded by historians as one of the most genius tactical operations ever fought on American soil.
This military history and love for veterans is ingrained into the Town of Cowpens. Clark said the town loves its history and hopes to continue the story.
“There’s so much history in our town, in our community, and it just seems to be all tied in together from the 1700s all the way through 2024,” Clark said. “We hope to have more. We don’t know where that’s going to come from or how it’s going to be but we would like to create more historical interest for the community.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-03 23:00:00
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