The Mighty Moo : the USS Cowpens and her epic World War II journey from jinx ship to the Navy's first carrier into Tokyo Bay / Nathan Canestaro.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Canestaro, Nathan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American.

Sailors--United States--Biography.

Sailors.

Aircraft carriers--United States--History--20th century.

Aircraft carriers.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area.

Armed Forces--Airmen.

Military operations, Aerial--American.

Military operations, Naval--American.

Cowpens (Aircraft carrier).

United States. Navy--Airmen--Biography.

United States.

United States. Navy.

Genre:

Biographies

History

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiv, 398 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, 1 map, portraits ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

USS Cowpens and her epic World War II journey from jinx ship to the Navy's first carrier into Tokyo Bay

Place of Publication:

New York ; Boston : Grand Central, 2024.

Summary:

"The USS Cowpens and her crew weren't your typical heroes. She was a flattop that the US Navy initially didn't want, with a captain nearly scapegoated for the loss of his last command, pilots who self-trained on the planes they would fly into combat, and sailors that had been in uniform barely longer than the ship had been afloat. Despite their humble origins, Cowpens and her band of second-string reservists and citizen sailors served with distinction, fighting in nearly every major carrier operation from 1943 to 1945, including the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. Together they faced a deadly typhoon that brought the ship to the verge of capsizing, and at war's end there was only one US aircraft carrier in Tokyo Bay to witness the Japanese surrender-THE MIGHTY MOO. In the years to follow, Cowpens' service has become the wellspring for a remarkable modern tradition, both within the US Navy and the small Southern town that still celebrates her legacy with a festival every year. THE MIGHTY MOO is a biography of a World War II aircraft carrier as told through the voices of its heroic crew-a "Band of Brothers at sea.""-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Origins: The Stopgap Sisters

The Moo's veteran officers: McConnell and Price

The Cowpens' Crew

Air Group

Cowpens Takes Her First Steps Towards the War

Hawaii

A Dress Rehearsal at Wake Island

Cowpens' Baptism by Fire at Wake

Back to Pearl: Cowpens' Jinx Strikes Again

GALVANIC and FLINTLOCK: The Marshall and Gilbert Islands Campaigns

Passing the Hours

Strikes in the Marshall Islands

Truk: Operation Hailstone

We'll fight our way in!

Palau, Hollandia, and Truk

Operation FORAGER: The Invasion of the Marianas

Left Behind

The Recapture of the Philippines

Lackluster Strikes in Palau: Captain Taylor's Decision

Operation KING II: The Build-Up for Leyte Gulf

Raid on Formosa: The 'Moo Rides Herd on Houston and Canberra

The Battle of Leyte Gulf

Black November

The Mighty Moo Faces Typhoon Cobra

Luzon and the South China Sea: A Deplorable Situation

Operation GRATITUDE: Into the South China Sea

Air Group 46 and the Iwo Jima Campaign

Operation DETACHMENT: Iwo Jima

A Gallant Lady, Homebound at Last

The Fleet that Came to Stay

The Final Act

A Post-War 'Moo

The 'Moo Wraps Up Her Affairs

Cowpens is Put Out to Pasture

Lives and Careers After the War.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-279) and index.

ISBN:

9781538742716

1538742713

OCLC:

1393248849

Publisher Number:

99996632391