The Burns is an iconic Southern California wreck dive – maybe THE iconic wreck dive. It is definitely deep, but not too deep to be “crazy deep” like the Vammen or the Hopewell. You will definitely accumulate deco quickly.
The wreck was sunk off of San Clemente Island during testing of the MK71 8″ Major Caliber Lightweight Gun (MCLWG) in the 1970s.
Overall Notes
Wreck was first dove on December 12, 2009 by Kendall Raine & John Walker on the Sundiver with Ray & Kyaa. Since then, the structure has started to collapse into the sand. The twin stacks are in the sand.
If possible, start the dive at the stern or amidships. I think there is more to see vs. the bow.
- 270 feet deep to the sand
- On the starboard side
- 376′ long, 39′ beam
- > 2000 tons
- Relief is 40+ feet
- One set of torpedo tubes (forward) were removed prior to 1969
- Two of the 5 x 5″ guns (#2, #5) were removed prior to 1974
Dive Photo Objectives
- Main Guns – By default, there are 5 x 5″/38 caliber guns in turrets (2 bow, 3 stern)
- Note: #2 and #5 of the 5″ guns were removed
- Photos inside hatch of turret
- Torpedo Tubes – By default, there are two sets of 5 torpedo tubes amidships on the centerline
- Only the stern (?) set remains on the Burns
- Two Depth Charge Racks – At the stern
- Propeller
Web Sites
Videos
- John & Kendall – Dec 2009 (8+ minutes)
- Bill Reals – Nov 2014 (16 minutes)
- Robert Jacoway – July 2013 (5+ minutes)
- Travis Rudder – Jul 2013 (6 minutes)
- Mike Wynd – Burns starts at 1min 45sec
- Karim Hamza – Jun 2016 (3 min, incredible vis)
Diagrams
Side Scan Sonar Images
3 thoughts on “Future Project: USS Burns (DD-588) – San Clemente, CA (270 fsw)”