The Mighty Moo, Nathan Canestaro
The Mighty Moo, Nathan Canestaro
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

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

Author: Nathan Canestaro

Narrator: Dan Woren

Unabridged: 13 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 06/11/2024

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

THE MIGHTY MOO is the tale of how a scrappy little World War II aircraft carrier and its untested crew earned a distinguished combat record and beat incredible odds to earn 12 battle stars in the Pacific.

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.”

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brendan on May 13, 2024

I think we readily remember how members of the Greatest Generation saved civilization from the tyranny of Nazi rule. However, I think we often forget how wonderful they were at nicknames. I submit as my evidence the aircraft carrier USS Cowpens, or as the men liked to call her, "The Mighty Moo." Com......more

Goodreads review by Clay on September 09, 2024

A very good book about a gallant ship and crew from a great generation. Learned about this book from the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton talk radio program.......more

Goodreads review by Chad on November 24, 2024

Nathan Canestaro's "The Mighty Moo" offers a captivating account of the USS Cowpens, a light aircraft carrier that defied expectations to become one of the most decorated ships of World War II. This meticulously researched book brings to life the remarkable journey of a vessel that many in the Navy......more

Goodreads review by Steven on July 24, 2024

This seems to be the summer for naval literature. I started with "Fighting in the Dark," the incredible study of naval night fighting in the first half of the 20th century from Trent Hone and Vincent O'Hara, then graduated to "America's First Carrier," David Winkler's new book on the USS Langley at......more

Goodreads review by Bill on August 21, 2024

I picked up this book because it covers a hole in my knowledge of the US Navy and its operations during World War II. I had read very little about the lighter smaller class of aircraft carriers used in the Pacific War. The Mighty Moo did just what I hoped it would do. I was not expecting a lot when......more


Quotes

"The epic voyages of USS Cowpens in the Second World War encompass and illuminate the greatest naval campaign in history. This is an insider look at one of the most storied ships of the U.S. Navy, the Mighty Moo, and is a powerful and moving story in every dimension."—Admiral James Stavridis (ret.), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, and author of To Risk it All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

"Emblematic of the over-looked role of light carriers in World War II, the USS Cowpens nonetheless fought in every major Pacific campaign from Wake Island to Tokyo Bay. From the ship’s log and the diaries and letters of her crew, Nathan Canestaro has crafted an epic tale that is at once both the story of a ship and an intimate portrait of the men who sailed aboard and flew from her deck. As Admiral Halsey signaled, 'Well done!'"
 —Walter R. Borneman, author of The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King