SS John Burke

SS John Burke on 10 May 1944, north west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
History
United States
NameJohn Burke
NamesakeJohn Burke
OwnerWar Shipping Administration
OperatorNorthland Transportation Company of Seattle
BuilderOregon Shipbuilding Company, Portland, OR
Laid down20 November 1942[1]
Launched15 December 1942[1]
Acquired23 December 1942[1]
FateLost 28 December 1944 off Negros island, and Siquijor island due to Kamikaze strike
General characteristics
TypeLiberty ship
Displacement14,245 long tons (14,474 t)[2]
Length422 ft 10 in (128.88 m)[2]
Beam57 ft 0 in (17.37 m)[2]
Draft27 ft 10 in (8.48 m)[2]
Depth of hold34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)[2]
PropulsionTwo oil-fired boilers, triple-expansion steam engine, single screw, 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)[2]
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[2]
Complement40 crew, 28 Armed Guard, 68 total
Armament2 × 3 in (76 mm), 8 × 20 mm guns[3]

SS John Burke (MC hull number 609) was an American Liberty Ship built during World War II, one of the 2,710 type 'EC2-S-C1' ships that carried all kinds and types of dry cargo during the war.[4] The ship was named for John Burke (February 25, 1859 – May 14, 1937), the 10th Governor of North Dakota. Burke was built at Kaiser Shipbuilding Company's Oregon Shipbuilding yard in Portland, Oregon. Burke's keel was laid November 20, 1942[4] and the hull was launched on December 13.[4] After fitting-out, Burke was delivered to the US Maritime Commission on December 23,[4] just 33 days after construction began. The War Shipping Administration then placed Burke under management of the Northland Transportation Company.[1]

On December 28, 1944, while transporting ammunition to Mindoro, Philippines, Burke was hit by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, and disintegrated in a tremendous explosion with the loss of all hands, approximately 68 merchant marine sailors and armed guards.[5][6][7] John Burke was one of three Liberty Ships[8] and one of forty-seven ships sunk by kamikaze attack during World War II.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d "US Maritime Commission".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Liberty cargo ship briefing" (PDF). ww2ships.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  3. ^ Rieley pp 152, 153
  4. ^ a b c d "Oregon Shipbuilding". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference USMM01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cressman, pp 597-599
  7. ^ "Eyewitness account".
  8. ^ "William S. Ladd, 10 Dec 1944; John Burke, 28 Dec 1944; Lewis L. Dyche, 5 Jan 1945". Archived from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  9. ^ "47 Ships Sunk by Kamikaze Aircraft". Archived from the original on 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2012-10-28.