Navy Removes USS Cowpens from Decommissioning List

The US Navy has removed a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens from the list of ships that will be decommissioned this year. What is more, instead of being scrapped, the ship may receive an upgrade in a local shipyard, according to U-T San Diego.

The USS Cowpens 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 ship is stationed at Naval Base San Diego and she also maintains an on-board active VBSS team to conduct anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and anti-terrorist operations.

The US Navy has planned to decommission a total of nine warships this year, nonetheless, the plan faced harsh disapproval.

Namely, in a time of rising international tensions and budget constraints,  early retirement of the ships was dubbed as unfavorable for  the Navy.

The Navy is going to modernize, operate and sustain the following warships:

• Cowpens
• Port Royal
• Chosin
• Tortuga
• Gettysburg
• Hue City
• Anzio
• Vicksburg
• Whidbey Island

For this to take place, the Navy has also appropriated $2.4 billion for the works on the ships.

[mappress]
Naval Today Staff, April 16, 2013