USS Cowpens (CVL-25), “The Mighty Moo,” starboard side flight deck facing aft from the island. Photo was taken around the time Typhoon Cobra hit the Third Fleet on 18 December 1944.
Named for the 1781 Revolutionary War Battle, Cowpens (CV-25), was laid down as light cruiser Huntingdon (CL-77) on 17 November 1941, reclassified to CV-25 on 27 March 1942, renamed Cowpens on 31 March 1942, reclassified to a small aircraft carrier (CVL-25) on 15 July 1943, and finally reclassified to an auxiliary aircraft transport (AVT-1) on 15 May 1959, but the latter was a formality as she was in mothballs ever since 1947. She earned a full dozen battle stars in WWII.
In Cobra, Cowpens lost a man: ship’s air officer LCDR Robert Price, several planes, and some equipment, but skillful work by her crew prevented major damage, and she reached Ulithi safely to repair her storm damage. Price earned the Marine Corps Medal (Posthumously) for his role in securing the planes you see above.