Doyne Edward Burns, Sr.
1913-2001
Doyne Edward Burns, Sr. was born June 17, 1913 in Marion County, Arkansas to
Theodore Emory "Theo" & Virginia E "Virgie" Matlock Burns.
June 26, 1937 he married Jessie McCormic in Fayetteville, Washington Co.,
Arkansas. They divorced July 19, 1939. His 2nd wife was Virginia Lee
Cheek. They married Feburary 15, 1948 in Polk Co., Arkansas although
both were residents of Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., at that time.
Virginia was also a veteran WAC and has a WWII page here.
A draft registraion card has not been found for him. Doyne enlisted in the
US Navy July 5, 1942. He served until April 20, 1951. His rank was Gmt1, Gunner's
Mate 1. There are several muster records below from the USS Birmingham
that he served on. The story below the musters gives the movements and ports thru
which the Birmingham served and survived.
Doyne Edward Burns, Sr. passed away April 21, 2001 at Fort Smith, Sebastian
Co., Ar. His burial was in the National Cemetery there.
USS Denver (CL-58) Service History
1943
Denver sailed from Philadelphia on 23 January 1943, and arrived at Efate,
New Hebrides on 14 February. Thomas Darden was in command. The new cruiser
first saw combat in the bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara in the Solomon
Islands, on 6 March. During this action her force engaged and sank the
Japanese destroyers Minegumo and Murasame in the Battle of Blackett Strait.
Continuing her operations in the Solomons, Denver joined the bombardment of
Ballale Island on 29-30 June in conjunction with the invasion landings on
New Georgia, then remained in the area on patrol.
On the last day of October 1943, Denver sortied from Port Purvis with Task
Force 39 (TF 39) to intercept an enemy force attempting to disrupt the
landings at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. In the resulting battle of Empress
Augusta Bay on the night of 1/2 November, the American ships sank one enemy
light cruiser and a destroyer and damaged two heavy cruisers and two destroyers,
while the four other enemy ships broke off the action and retired. During the
heavy firing Denver was hit by three 8-inch (203 mm) shells which
fortunately did not explode. She shared in the Navy Unit Commendation awarded
her division for its outstanding performance in this battle.
Denver covered the support landings on Cape Torokina on 10-11 November 1943,
and two days later during a heavy air attack was hit by an aerial torpedo which
knocked out all power and communications and killed 20 of her men. She was
towed by Sioux to Port Purvis and then by Pawnee to Espiritu Santo for
temporary repairs, then sailed to Mare Island for permanent repairs, arriving
on 2 January 1944.
1944
Denver returned to the forward area at Eniwetok, arriving on 22 June.
Eight days later, she put to sea to screen carriers as they launched strikes
to neutralize Japanese bases in the Bonins and Marianas during the invasion
of the Marianas. She bombarded Iwo Jima on 4 July, and after screening
continued air assaults returned to Eniwetok on 5 August.
Denver sailed from Port Purvis on 6 September for the invasion of the Palaus.
She bombarded Angaur Island from 12 to 18 September, then covered a task
unit engaged in minesweeping, reconnaissance and underwater demolition
operations before the landings on Ulithi on 23 September. She returned to
Manus Island on 28 September to prepare for the return to the Philippines.
Denver departed on 12 October for the landings on Leyte, bombarding Suluan Island
and Dulag to open the vast invasion fleet's way into Leyte Gulf, then sailed
on to bombard the southern landing beaches. As the Japanese sent the major
portion of their remaining combatant fleet south in a desperate attempt to
break up the landings, Denver's group took station in Surigao Strait on
24 October to prevent the passage of the Japanese Southern Force into Leyte Gulf.
Attacks were made by motor torpedo boats and destroyers stationed in advance
of the battle line. Yamashiro, Mogami, and Shigure were all that remained of
the Japanese ships when Denver and the others of the battle line opened fire
at 0351. With three other cruisers, she made a material contribution to the
cumulative gunfire which sank Yamashiro. Mogami was later sunk by aircraft,
and Shigure was the sole survivor of Nishimura's fleet which had sailed forth
for this phase of the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf. After this action,
Denver sailed to aid in the destruction of any surviving enemy vessels,
aiding in sinking Asagumo early in the day on 25 October.
Continuing her service in Leyte Gulf, she fought off numerous attacks;
during the one of 28 October, a bomb released from one of the planes she
shot down exploded nearby causing minor damage and slight flooding.
She screened reinforcement landings in November and fought off a kamikaze
attack on 27 November, suffering four men wounded from fragments of a
bomb which exploded 200 yards (180 m) off the starboard quarter.
She joined the heavy covering group, for the Mindoro landings of 13-16
December, then returned to Manus on 24 December.
1945
Returning to San Pedro Bay on 3 January, Denver sortied the next day to cover
the landings at Lingayen Gulf. She remained in the Philippines to join in
the consolidation of those islands. She covered the landings on Zambales
on 29-30 January, supported minesweeping near and landings on Grande Island;
provided fire support at Nasugbu on 31 January; escorted a replenishment
convoy to Mindoro from 1 to 7 February; covered the Army landings around
Mariveles Bay from 13 to 16 February, rescuing the survivors of the destroyer
La Vallette; and supported the operations on Palawan and Mindanao Islands from
February to May.
On 7 June, Denver sailed from Subic Bay for the amphibious assaults on Brunei
Bay, Borneo, and later at Balikpapan. She covered the pre-invasion work of
minesweeping units and underwater demolition teams, and provided fire support
for the invading troops until returning to San Pedro Bay, Leyte on 4 July for
brief overhaul.
Denver got underway for Okinawa on 13 July to hunt Japanese shipping off the
China coast as part of Task Force 95 until 7 August. She sailed from Okinawa on
9 September to cover the evacuation of men of the Allied forces rescued from
prison camps in the Wakayama area and covered the landing of occupation troops
at Wakanoura Wan from 25 September to 20 October, when she sailed for home.
Denver arrived at Norfolk on 21 November, and after overhaul, reported to
Newport, Rhode Island, in January 1946 for duty training men of the Naval
Reserve, and a good-will visit to Quebec, Canada. In April, she arrived at
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where she was placed out of commission in
reserve on 7 February 1947. She was then stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1
March 1959 and then scrapped at Long Beach, California.
USS Denver (CL-58) in a South Pacific harbor, circa 1943.
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