- USS Cowell (DD-547)
USS "Cowell" (DD-547), a sclass|Fletcher|destroyer, was the second ship of the
United States Navy to be named forJohn G. Cowell (1785–1814)."Cowell" was launched
18 March 1943 byBethlehem Steel Co.,San Pedro, California , sponsored by Mrs. R. Hepburn; and commissioned23 August 1943 , Commander C. W. Parker in command.Central Pacific campaigns
Sailing from San Pedro
28 October 1943 , "Cowell" arrived atPearl Harbor 2 November to join theFast Carrier Task Force (then TF 58, later TF 38). From10 November to13 December she screened the carriers as they launched air attacks during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, then sailed fromEspiritu Santo for strikes onKavieng , New Ireland at the turn of the year; and onKwajalein ,Ebeye , andEniwetok Islands at the close of January. Returning to Majuro, she put to sea for the strike on Truk of 16 and17 February 1944 , then sailed to Pearl Harbor to replenish."Cowell" returned to
Majuro 22 March 1944 and rejoined TF 58 for the strikes onPalau ,Yap andUlithi of30 March to1 April ; the invasion ofHollandia from 21 to23 April ; and the raids onTruk ,Satawan and Ponape of29 April to1 May . After the air attacks onMarcus Island andWake Island from 19 to23 May , "Cowell" continued to screen the carriers during the Marianas operation. She sortied from her base at Majuro from6 June to14 July for strikes onGuam and Rota, raids to neutralize Japanese bases in the Bonins, and to give protective antiaircraft cover for the carriers in theBattle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and20 June .After an overhaul at Eniwetok, "Cowell" put to sea
29 August 1944 with Task Group 36.5 (TG 38.5) for air strikes on the western Carolines, thePhilippines and the Palaus, and theManila andSubic Bay area, as well as to support the landings onMorotai on15 September . She arrived at Manus on28 September to replenish, then sortied2 October supporting air strikes onOkinawa ,Luzon , and Formosa preparing for the Leyte assault. When USS|Canberra|CA-70|2 and USS|Houston|CL-81|2 weretorpedo ed in heavy Japanese air attacks on 13 and14 October , "Cowell" stood by to furnish light, power, and pumping facilities as the cripples slowly retired from the danger area. She rejoined her task force to sail for the far-flungBattle for Leyte Gulf , and aircraft from her carriers were in time to launch telling strikes against the retreating Japanese ships. "Cowell" returned to Ulithi28 October for patrol and training duty until26 December when she sailed for Seattle and an overhaul.Battle of Okinawa
Returning to action, "Cowell" sailed from
Saipan 27 March 1945 for the invasion of Okinawa. She covered the diversionary landings during the assault on1 April , then took up theradar picket duty which was to bring her aPresidential Unit Citation (US) . Until20 June "Cowell" braved the hazards of the picket line to directcombat air patrol successfully and to shoot down her own share of Japanese aircraft with antiaircraft fire. On at least three occasions skillful maneuvering, accurate fire and courage saved "Cowell" from severe damage. On4 May she shot down two planes within 50 feet of the ship, receiving a shower of gasoline and burning debris, then aided USS|Gwin|DM-33|2 by firing on anotherkamikaze . On13 May "Cowell" fired on several attacking planes, then brought firefighting and medical assistance to the stricken USS|Bache|DD-470|2, screening her from further attack. In another attack on25 May "Cowell" shot down a diving kamikaze which exploded in midair scattering shell fragments and its cockpit door on "Cowell"'s deck and causing small fires. Relieved of picket duty20 June , "Cowell" joined TG 32.15 to patrol off Okinawa in theEast China Sea . On22 July she sent rescue and fire-fighting parties to aid USS|Marathon|APA-200|2."Cowell" sailed from Okinawa
20 September 1945 to support the occupation landings atMatsuyama . She cleared for home fromNagoya 31 October and arrived atSan Diego 17 November , where "Cowell" was placed out of commission in reserve22 July 1946 .1951 – 1960
Recommissioned
21 September 1951 , "Cowell" was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, and sailed from San Diego4 January 1952 to arrive at Norfolk, Virginia19 January . She joined in fleet exercises and training, then sailed from Norfolk7 January 1953 for the Far East. She joined TF 77 offKorea on patrol, then operated with British ships in the West Coast Blockade Force. She escorted USS|Missouri|BB-63|2 to a bombardment of the east coast of Korea, then joined TG 95.2 for shore bombardment inWonsan Harbor, minesweeping and coastal patrols. She cleared Sasebo26 June to complete her cruise around the world calling at Manila, and passing through theIndian Ocean , theSuez Canal and theMediterranean Sea to return to Norfolk22 August . From4 September to23 November she conducted local hunter-killer exercises, then cruised theAtlantic and Mediterranean for like operations from4 January to11 March 1954 ."Cowell" cleared Norfolk
7 January 1955 and arrived at Long Beach28 January to join the Pacific Fleet. During her 1955 tour of duty in the western Pacific, she joined inguided missile exercises en route to Pearl Harbor, served as plane guard for USS|Essex|CV-9|2, served on theTaiwan Patrol , and participated in hunter-killer exercises with TF 77. "Cowell" returned to the Far East for similar duty annually through1960 , joining in exercises and training from Long Beach when not deployed.Notable Officers
Lt. Commander Dick Buttenheim, noted contrarian, served aboard this ship for several years. During this time he was reprimanded several times for sleeping in the torpedo tubes, and once tried to single handedly invade
Iwo Jima . Before being replaced by a hat rack that served all his functions, he was named aKentucky Colonel for his valiant efforts.ARA "Almirante Storni"
On
17 August 1971 , the ship was decommissioned, stricken from the U.S.Naval Vessel Register , and transferred toArgentina . She served in theArgentine Navy as ARA "Almirante Storni".In 1982, she was stricken and scrapped.
In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, "Cowell" received 11
battle star s forWorld War II service and two forKorean War service.References
*DANFS|http://history.navy.mil/danfs/c14/cowell-ii.htm
External links
* [http://history.navy.mil/danfs/c14/cowell-ii.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Cowell"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/547.htm navsource.org: USS "Cowell"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd547txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "Cowell"]
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