The USS Cowell was laid down on 7 September 1942, completed on 18 March and commissioned into service on 23 August 1943. She was the second ship, specifically, the second destroyer in the U.S. Navy to be named after her namesake, John G. Cowell. The individual after she was named after was an officer on board the U.S. sailing frigate USS Essex, that was severely wounded during a battle against a pair of British ships in the South Atlantic during The War of 1812. Despite losing a leg, Cowell refused to be carried to the lower decks for medical treatment, instead choosing to remain on his station and continue to motivate his fellow crewmen throughout the battle. Several weeks after the battle, Cowell died to his wounds and received an honorary burial for his courage in the principal church of Valparaíso, a rare honour for a foreigner. As for the destroyer USS Cowell, she was mostly employed as a carrier screener and anti-aircraft destroyer early on in her service career and later on as a radar picket. She took part in several major operations in the Pacific theatre, most notably on Okinawa, where she distinguished herself by shooting down several japanese regular and kamikaze aircraft and aiding damaged ships by providing covering fire and assisting in damage control. USS Cowell arrived to her homeport of San Diego on 17 November 1945 and was decommissioned from active service on 22 July 1946. Throughout the postwar period until 1951, Cowell was part of the U.S. Navy reserve. She was recommissioned into active service in September 1951 and participated in the Korean War as well as various exercises in the Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean.

In August 1971, the ship was ultimately decommissioned from U.S. service and was sold to the Argentinian navy, where she received her new name - Almirante Storni. She served under the Argentinian banner until 1982, when she was finally decommissioned from service for good. Shortly after, she was taken apart for scrap.