USS Cowpens (CG-63)

USS Cowpens (CG-63)
USS Cowpens (CG-63)
	USS Cowpens (CG-63) pulls alongside USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
Name:	USS Cowpens
Namesake:	The Battle of Cowpens
Operator:	United States Navy
Ordered:	8 January 1986
Builder:	Bath Iron Works
Laid down:	23 December 1987
Launched:	11 March 1989
Commissioned:	9 March 1991
Homeport:	Naval Base San Diego
Motto:	Victoria Libertatis Vindex; (Victory Vindicates Liberty)
Status:	in active service, as of 2025
Badge:
General characteristics
Class & type:	Ticonderoga-class cruiser
Displacement:	Approx. 9,600 long tons (9,800 t) full load
Length:	567 feet (173 m)
Beam:	55 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft:	34 feet (10.2 meters)
Propulsion:	4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines, 80,000 shaft horsepower (60,000 kW); 2 × controllable-reversible pitch propellers; 2 × rudders;
Speed:	32.5 knots (60 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement:	33 officers, 27 Chief Petty Officers, and approx. 340 enlisted
Sensors and ; processing systems:	AN/SPY-1A/B multi-function radar; AN/SPS-49 air search radar; AN/SPG-62 fire control radar; AN/SPS-73 surface search radar; AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar; AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite; AN/SQQ-89(V)1/3 - A(V)15 Sonar suite, consisting of: AN/SQS-53B/C/D active sonar; AN/SQR-19 TACTAS, AN/SQR-19B ITASS, & MFTA passive sonar; AN/SQQ-28 light airborne multi-purpose system; ;
Armament:	2 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems containing; 122 × mix of: RIM-66M-5 Standard SM-2MR Block IIIB; RIM-156A SM-2ER Block IV; RIM-161 SM-3; RIM-162A ESSM; RIM-174A Standard ERAM; BGM-109 Tomahawk; RUM-139A VL-ASROC; ; ; ; 8 × RGM-84 Harpoon missiles; ; 2 × Mk 45 Mod 2 5-in/54-cal lightweight gun; ; 2 × 25 mm Mk 38 gun; ; 2–4 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) gun; ; 2 × Phalanx CIWS Block 1B; ; 2 × Mk 32 12.75-in (324 mm) triple torpedo tubes for lightweight torpedoes;
Aircraft carried:	2 × Sikorsky SH-60B or MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.

For other ships of the same name, see 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. The USS Cowpens is stationed at Naval Base San Diego.

History[]

This article does not contain any citations or references. Please improve this article by adding a reference. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation.

In 2003, the USS Cowpens became the first United States Navy ship to launch ordnance in the opening stages of the Iraq War, in which she fired 37 Tomahawk cruise missiles. In March 2003 Cowpens was assigned to Carrier Group Five.^[1]

On 13 January 2010, the ship's commanding officer, Captain Holly Graf, was relieved of command by Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan, Commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, following the imposition of non-judicial punishment. The punishment followed an investigation which verified allegations of cruelty and maltreatment toward her crew, and conduct unbecoming an officer — violations of articles 93 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, by Graf during her tenure as captain of the USS Cowpens. The investigation was initiated after multiple allegations and complaints of physical and verbal abuse were made to Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Navy Inspector General by several members of the crew. Captain Graf was subsequently replaced as the commanding officer by Captain Robert Marin.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] A subsequent Time magazine article revealed that Graf had a history of abusive treatment of subordinates in earlier assignments and that Navy leaders had not acted on previous complaints about her behavior.^[7] The US Navy forced Graf into early retirement in 2012, but allowed her to do so at her current rank of Captain and under "honorable circumstances."^[8]

Service[]

This ship was one of several participating in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.^[9]

USS Cowpens was set to be decommissioned on 31 March 2013.^[10] However, Cowpens was retained under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.^[11]^[12]

In February 2013, she was relieved by USS Antietam and is now homeported at Naval Base San Diego, California.

References[]

↑ accessed May 2012
↑ Carter, David, J., "Admiral relieves Cowpens captain", Stars and Stripes, 16 January 2010.
↑ Ewing, Philip, "Cruiser CO relieved for ‘cruelty’", Navy Times, 16 January 2010.
↑ "Whale-Plowing, Cup-Hurtling Capt Holly Graf Finally Fired After Choking Subordinate". Susan Katz Keating. 18 October 2010. http://www.susankatzkeating.com/2010/01/captain-holly-graf-plows-down-whale.html. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
↑ [1]^{[dead link]}
↑ "Cruiser CO relieved for ‘cruelty’ - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Navy Times. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/01/ap_cowpens_cofired_011310/. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
↑ Thompson, Mark, "The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh", Time magazine, 3 March 2010.
↑ Slavin, Erik, "Navy to let ousted captain of Yokosuka-based ship to get 'honorable' retirement", Stars and Stripes, 8 January 2012.
↑ Rabiroff, John. "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas," Stars and Stripes (US). 17 March 2011.
↑ "11 ships to be decommissioned in fiscal 2013 - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Navy Times. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/03/navy-11-ships-to-be-decommissioned-in-fiscal-2013-031412w/. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
↑ "US Navy to retain four Ticonderoga-class cruisers in service". Naval-Technology.com. 28 September 2012, and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, p. 5.
↑ Navy decides not to scrap SD warship by Gary Robbins, U-T San Diego, April 15, 2013.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

External links[]

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The original article can be found at USS Cowpens (CG-63) and the edit history here.

[1] ssed May 2012

[2] Carter, David, J., "Admiral relieves Cowpens captain", Stars and Stripes, 16 January 2010.

[3] Ewing, Philip, "Cruiser CO relieved for ‘cruelty’", Navy Times, 16 January 2010.

[4] "Whale-Plowing, Cup-Hurtling Capt Holly Graf Finally Fired After Choking Subordinate". Susan Katz Keating. 18 October 2010. http://www.susankatzkeating.com/2010/01/captain-holly-graf-plows-down-whale.html. Retrieved 31 October 2012.

[5] [1]^{[dead link]}

[6] "Cruiser CO relieved for ‘cruelty’ - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Navy Times. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/01/ap_cowpens_cofired_011310/. Retrieved 31 October 2012.

[7] Thompson, Mark, "The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh", Time magazine, 3 March 2010.

[8] Slavin, Erik, "Navy to let ousted captain of Yokosuka-based ship to get 'honorable' retirement", Stars and Stripes, 8 January 2012.

[9] Rabiroff, John. "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas," Stars and Stripes (US). 17 March 2011.

[10] "11 ships to be decommissioned in fiscal 2013 - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Navy Times. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/03/navy-11-ships-to-be-decommissioned-in-fiscal-2013-031412w/. Retrieved 31 October 2012.

[11] "US Navy to retain four Ticonderoga-class cruisers in service". Naval-Technology.com. 28 September 2012, and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, p. 5.

[12] Navy decides not to scrap SD warship by Gary Robbins, U-T San Diego, April 15, 2013.

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