SAN DIEGO - The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) is scheduled to depart Sept. 17 for a seven-month, Western Pacific deployment.

Cowpens was part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in Japan until earlier this year. Cowpens, nicknamed "The Mighty Moo," conducted a hull-swap with USS Antietam (CG 54) and returned to San Diego.

"Cowpens will return to the 7th Fleet," said Capt. Greg Gombert, Cowpens commanding officer. "Our crew finished repairs and training in four months and now the 'Mighty Moo' is back and ready for action."

Cowpens is named after the American Revolutionary War battle fought Jan. 17, 1781, at the "Cowpens" in South Carolina. During the battle, American soldiers defeated a much superior force of British soldiers, giving the American Army the confidence to pursue the British from South Carolina to Yorktown, Va.

USS Cowpens helps provide deterrence, promote peace and security, and preserve freedom of the seas when deployed.