Special Officer David B. Burns

David B. Burns

Special Officer David Burns drowned while attempting to rescue a child who was thrown into Narragansett Bay when the boiler on the excursion ship Mackinac exploded.

The owner of the ship had invited Officer Burns and other officers on board just prior to the explosion. Fifty-three people were killed as a result of the accident.

Officer Burns was a British Army veteran of WWI. He was survived by his wife and three children.