The USS Cowell (DD–167) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy, launched on 23 November 1918 by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was commissioned on 17 March 1919. The ship measured approximately 314 feet in length, with a beam of about 30 feet, and was armed with four 4-inch guns and torpedo tubes, typical of Wickes-class destroyers designed for fast, versatile operations. Initially, Cowell operated in the North Atlantic, departing Boston on 3 May 1919 to station at Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland, supporting the historic first transatlantic aerial crossing. She soon shifted her focus to European waters, serving as a dispatch vessel for the Allied Peace Commission and acting as a station ship in Croatian ports including Rijeka, Split, and Trogir, until October 1919. After her service in the Adriatic, she returned to the United States, entering reserve status at Boston and Charleston in December 1919, and later training out of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1921. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 27 June 1922 but was recommissioned on 17 June 1940 for patrol duties along the U.S. East Coast. Later that year, she was transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the destroyer-for-bases agreement, arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and being decommissioned from U.S. service on 23 September 1940. As HMS Brighton, she served with minelayers in the Denmark Strait and off the Faroe Islands. Notably, she rescued 19 survivors from the torpedoed SS Baltisan in February 1941. During her service with the Royal Navy, Brighton was modified for convoy escort duties with reduced armament and increased depth charge capacity, including the addition of Hedgehog anti-submarine weapons. She later served as a target ship for naval aircraft training in the Western Approaches and at Rosyth, Scotland. In 1944, HMS Brighton was transferred to the Soviet Navy, where she was renamed Zharky (meaning "Torrid"). She remained in Soviet service until her return to the UK in 1949 and was subsequently sold for scrap on 5 April 1949. The USS Cowell's service life reflects her versatility and the significant roles she played during both World Wars, transitioning from a U.S. Navy combat vessel to a key asset in Allied convoy protection, and finally serving in the Soviet Navy, exemplifying the collaborative naval efforts of the era.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.