USS Cowpens

The Cowpens, commissioned in 1991, is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser named for the 1781 Revolutionary War battle where American forces decisively routed a British force. Homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, she has prowled the Western Pacific as the AEGIS shield for carrier strike groups over decades of service. In December 2013, the Cowpens was at the center of a confrontation with a Chinese warship in the South China Sea—her crew's composure under international scrutiny spoke volumes.