SS Robert F. Burns

SS Robert F. Burns was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Robert F. Burns, a Merchant marine killed when U-66 torpedoed Topa Topa, 350 mi (560 km) off North of Cayenne, French Guiana, 29 August 1942.

History
United States
Name	Robert F. Burns
Namesake	Robert F. Burns
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	United States Navigation Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C5) hull, MC hull 3146
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$842,691
Yard number	106
Way number	3
Laid down	30 June 1945
Launched	28 August 1945
Completed	19 September 1945
Identification	Call sign: AOHQ
Fate	Placed in the, Beaumont Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 25 April 1949 Sold for scrapping, 19 January 1967, removed from fleet, 11 May 1967
General characteristics
Class and type	Liberty ship type EC2-S-C5, boxed aircraft transport
Tonnage	10,600 LT DWT 7,200 GRT
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434 t) (light) 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) (max)
Length	441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa 416 feet (127 m) pp 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam	57 feet (17 m)
Draft	27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa) 2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	1 × triple-expansion steam engine,  (manufactured by Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	490,000 cubic feet (13,875 m3) (bale)
Complement	38–62 USMM 21–40 USNAG
Armament	Varied by ship Bow-mounted 3 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

Robert F. Burns was laid down on 30 June 1945, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 3146, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 28 August 1945.

History

She was allocated to United States Navigation Co.Inc., on 19 September 1945. On 25 April 1949, she was placed in the, Beaumont Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. She was sold for scrapping, 19 January 1967, to Southern Scrap Materials, for $45,188.88. She was removed from the fleet, 11 May 1967.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Robert F. Burns". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "SS Robert F. Burns". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE NAMES". Armed-guard.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "SS Topa Topa". www.Wrecksite.eu. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2019.