The USS Burns (DD-171) was a Wickes-class destroyer constructed for the United States Navy during World War I. Launched on July 4, 1918, by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, and commissioned on August 7, 1919, she exemplified the design improvements and performance characteristics typical of her class. The Wickes class was an enhanced and faster variant of the Caldwell-class, featuring two distinct designs primarily differing in turbines and boilers. Burns was built to the Bethlehem Steel design, equipped with four water-tube boilers and two steam turbines driving her twin propeller shafts. These turbines produced up to 27,000 shaft horsepower, allowing her to reach speeds of approximately 35 knots. The ship displaced around 1,202 to 1,208 long tons at standard load and measured 314 feet 4 inches in length with a beam of 30 feet 11 inches and a draught of 9 feet 10 inches. She carried a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men. Armament included four single-mounted 4-inch guns, two 1-pounder anti-aircraft guns, and a torpedo battery of twelve 21-inch tubes in four triple mounts. She also carried depth charge rails and was fitted with a "Y-gun" depth charge thrower on many ships of her class. Initially assigned to the Pacific Destroyer Force, Burns served as a tender for the NC Seaplane Division before being reclassified as DM-11 in 1921 and later assigned to the Pacific Mine Force. Her service was primarily based around the Hawaiian Islands, where she participated in mine warfare, gunnery exercises, and fleet maneuvers. Notably, she joined a fleet tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1925 and conducted several training cruises for Naval Reservists from 1926 to 1928. Decommissioned on June 2, 1930, Burns was subsequently used as a barracks ship at Mare Island and was sold for scrap in 1932. Her operational history reflects the typical peacetime duties of early 20th-century U.S. Navy destroyers, emphasizing training, fleet maneuvers, and regional defense efforts.

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