Heh. GFShill beat me to it.. guess he types faster.
<checks to see if we matched up>
My name is Jack Moran + I was a seaman on the USS Cowpens from May 43 until Mar. 45
I knew nothing about the AOL Website until my son obtained some of the comments about the Cowpens.
There were letters stating it was a jinx ship. That's a complete falsehood. I never heard one shipmate ever say that. We supposedly got caught in a anti-submarine net after our shakedown cruise to Trinidad off the coast Va. + then went into drydock. If this happened it was so minute or else it would stand out in my mind. The only time she was in drydock was at Pearl Harbor when it was rammed by a destroyer at night. We never missed a fleet operation because of it + we went from Wake Island Oct 5, 1943 to Japan. Our biggest problem I believe was the typhoon which will come later.
One fact that was left out was the time the marines landed on the Marshall Islands + as they took the island we took some of their walking wounded back to Pearl. They also used our bunks to rest.
Thinking back 57 years this jinx ship in my two years abaord we lost nine men, not what the website states. Four were officers; three marines + two seaman. I only know the name of five of them, one was a pilot the first killed - the flt deck air officer - a marine officer + two seaman. I am not using their names as I do not know what the families were told.
If I recall what I read the marines were killed at their 20mm guns during the typhoon in Dec. of 44. First of all I believe the typhoon was earlier. The four marines were killed by one of our own planes that crashed into their guns. Normally guns are not manned when planes land but having Japanese planes in the vicinity the guns are manned.
Now to get to the typhoon. What was written was all wrong. The ship rolled + pitched that was such a danger to the whoel ship. All you could see was tremendous waves + see maybe 500 ft. No ship could see another ship during that whole typhoon. Yet it was stated that the ship as it rolled to starboard from the bridge you could touch the water. Ridiculous if that happened there would have been a loss of 13 to 1500 men, due to capsizing. There were 3 destroyers lost due to capsizing. A loss of about 750 men. The ships were the H S + M.
It also stated two destroyers came to assist us because we lost our [radar??] Not true. We had our [radar??] as we were ordered to circle the USS Cabot whose hanagr deck was on fire. This is what the Mighty Moo did in the typhoon.
One other falsehood I want to comment about. It was stated a plane was landing + it crashed over the side + that the landing signal officer jumped overboard to save the pilot + they both drowned. A landing signal officer directs planes aboard + if he is in trouble to injury by a landing plane he jumps off to the side below the flight deck + lands in a net that's there for him. No way did he ever jump into the water to save the pilot.
Now a word about Lt. Cmdr. Price. I personally seen him on the starboard side aft of teh flight deck during the typhoon. He was releasing teh cables + chocks that secure the planes + pushing them overboard because they were fueled. Sadly he was blown overboard. Nobody knew it and we was constantly paged for a day to report to the bridge. Here's a man who put the crew and ship before his own safety. I do not know if he was awarded anything but he surely earned the highest commendation.
The AOL Website had a statement the Mighty Moo had 10 or 12 battle stars. My discharge states American Theatre - Asiatic Pacific 12 stars + Philipine Liberation 2 stars.
Last statement. It was an honor to serve on this ship + with this crew. Outside of the Enterprise which was out there the whole war, the "Mighty Moo" had to be the best carrier bar none.
I believe I was the youngest sailor aboard. I went aboard when I was 16yrs 1mo of age.
If anything is wrong, please inform me. Thanks.
================
For you illiterates.... learn to read!! and write!! cursive!!
It was actually fairly easy to read.
