[1] On December 28, 1944, while transporting ammunition to Mindoro, Philippines, Burke was hit by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, and disintegrated in a tremendous explosion with the loss of all hands, approximately 68 merchant marine sailors and armed guards.

[9] John Burke was powered by two oil-fired boilers and a single 2,500 hp (1,864 kW) vertical type, triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine.

The bridge, radio room and Captain's quarters were on the top deck (yellow in the picture) of the three-deck structure.

Steam-powered generators provided electric power for radios, navigation equipment, refrigeration compressors, pumps, lighting, and degaussing.

The design was modified to fit American production methods, and five new shipyards were built to give the shipbuilding industry capacity.

Liberty ships carried weapons, ammunition, food, tools, hardware, vehicles, and other things for the war effort.

[14] Liberty ships began taking troops and materials wherever they were needed, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

On what would be her final trip in late 1944, Burke departed Seattle, Washington for Guam, where she spent several days loading munitions for the invasion force on the island of Mindoro.

[18] Through holes in the clouds, the Japanese pilots sighted the American force as it steamed south of Cebu and Bohol Islands.

The Japanese aircraft were three A6M Zero fighters of the 201st Air Group, which had taken off from Cebu at 0950 were led by Lt. Masami Hoshino (星野政己) and each carried a 250 kg bomb.

A few seconds later, a huge pillar of fire shot out of Burke's cargo hold, followed by an immense cloud of white smoke[18] before an enormous blast wave and fireball erupted as her cargo of munitions detonated, instantly destroying the ship and killing her crew of 40 merchant marine sailors and 28[5] or 29[20] armed guards.

[22] Today, SS John Burke's fragments lie 1,500 feet (457 m) below the surface, in the vicinity of 9°1′11″N 123°26′50″E / 9.01972°N 123.44722°E / 9.01972; 123.44722,[23] the location the ship was last seen, in the strait between Negros, Siquijor Islands and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines.