"Battleship" Burke

First Appearance: Devil-Dog Dugan #1 (July 1956).
Appearances: Devil-Dog Dugan #1-3.
Years Active: 1951-1954.

"Battleship" Burke (he was never given a first name as far as I know) is the Chief Petty Officer on an unnamed destroyer during the "police action" in Korea. Burke and his best pal Seaman First Class "Salty" Smith (that's "Salty" on the left and the cigar-chomping "Battleship" on the right) serve faithfully and have the predictable number of adventures, helping drowning sailors, clearing mines from the path of the destroyer and other Navy minesweepers, helping the 1st Marine Division effect their landing, and other deeds like that. Unlike many another Atlas wartime character, "Battleship" is well thought of by his skipper, who entrusts "Battleship" and "Salty" with special missions and who says things like "I'm wondering how the U.S. Navy got along before those two ("Battleship" and "Salty") enlisted."

Both "Battleship" and "Salty" are good shots and hand-to-hand fighters and took the Navy's Underwater Demolition Course, and so have SEALs-type skills in addition to being good sailors.

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