“Mighty Moo” set to deploy

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens and its crew of
400 are scheduled to depart San Diego Tuesday for a seven-month deployment to
the Western Pacific, according to the Navy.

The 567-foot Cowpens was based in Japan for 13 years until April, when
it switched home ports with the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam. The
“Mighty Moo” underwent an overhaul to modernize its systems while in San
Diego.

“Our crew finished repairs and training in four months and now the
`Mighty Moo' is back and ready for action,” said Capt. Greg Gombert, the
commanding officer.

Cowpens is named after the American Revolutionary War battle fought on
Jan. 17, 1781, at the “Cowpens' in South Carolina. During the battle, American
soldiers defeated a much superior force of British soldiers, giving the
American Army the confidence to pursue the British from South Carolina to
Yorktown, Va.