 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSBurns (DD-171) |
| Namesake | Otway Burns |
| Builder | Union Iron Works,San Francisco,California |
| Laid down | 15 April 1918 |
| Launched | 4 July 1918 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Alice H. Palmer |
| Commissioned | 7 August 1919 |
| Decommissioned | 2 June 1930 |
| Reclassified | 15 March 1921, as DM-11 |
| Stricken | 30 November 1930 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 22 April 1932 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Wickes-classdestroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 314 ft 4 in (95.8 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft 11 in (9.42 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft 10 in (3.0 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2steam turbines |
| Speed | 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) (design) |
| Range | 2,500nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (design) |
| Complement | 6 officers, 108 enlisted men |
| Armament |
|
USSBurns (DD-171) was aWickes-classdestroyer built for theUnited States Navy during World War I.
TheWickes class was an improved and faster version of the precedingCaldwell-class. Two different designs were prepared to the same specification that mainly differed in the turbines and boilers used. The ships built to theBethlehem Steel design, built in the Fore River and Union Iron Worksshipyards, mostly usedYarrow boilers that deteriorated badly during service and were mostly scrapped during the 1930s.[1] The ships displaced 1,202–1,208 long tons (1,221–1,227 t) atstandard load and 1,295–1,322 long tons (1,316–1,343 t) atdeep load. They had anoverall length of 314 feet 4 inches (95.8 m), abeam of 30 feet 11 inches (9.4 m) and adraught of 9 feet 10 inches (3.0 m). They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men.[2]
Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. TheWickes class was powered by twosteam turbines, each driving onepropeller shaft, using steam provided by fourwater-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 27,000shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) intended to reach a speed of 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The ships carried 225 long tons (229 t) offuel oil which was intended gave them a range of 2,500nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[3]
The ships were armed with four4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two1-pounder guns for anti-aircraft defense. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedobattery of a dozen21 inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes in four triple mounts. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by 3-inch (76 mm)anti-aircraft (AA) guns.[1] They also carried a pair ofdepth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships.[4]
Burns, named forOtway Burns, was launched 4 July 1918 byUnion Iron Works,San Francisco, California; sponsored by Miss Alice H. Palmer, and commissioned 7 August 1919.
Burns was attached to Destroyer Force, Pacific, until March 1920 when she was ordered to special duty as a tender forNC Seaplane Division. On 15 March 1921 she was reclassifiedDM-11 and on 5 May she was assigned to the Mine Force, Pacific. She was atMare Island Navy Yard 11 July undergoing conversion and overhaul when her home yard was changed and she departed forNaval Station Pearl Harbor, where she completed the yard period. Thereafter, attached to Mine Squadron 2 Pacific Fleet, she served throughout her active service in the vicinity of theHawaiian Islands except for periodic concentrations of the Fleet in other areas for maneuvers and Fleet problems.
In 1925 she joined the Fleet for a tour ofAustralia andNew Zealand. In the summers of 1926, 1927, and 1928 she conducted training cruises forNaval Reservists. In 1927Burns returned toSan Diego with her squadron for inspection, training, and recreation. Returning to Pearl Harbor, she participated in mining and gunnery practice, and acted as a high-speed target forsubmarines in Hawaiian waters until November 1929. Arriving at San Diego 26 November,Burns was decommissioned 2 June 1930. On 11 June she was towed to Mare Island Navy Yard where she was used as a barracks ship. She was later scrapped and her material sold 22 April 1932.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
