Peacetime and interim
Henry Breault
Torpedoman Second Class · U.S. Navy
U.S. Navy
28 October 1923 · Place not recorded
No known restrictions on publication.. Library of Congress. Source file
- Branch
- U.S. Navy
- Era
- Peacetime and other actions
- Home state
- Vermont
- Action
- Henry Breault, 28 October 1923
The citation
Official citation
For heroism and devotion to duty while serving on board the U.S. submarine 0-5 at the time of the sinking of that vessel. On the morning of 28 October 1923, the 0-5 collided with the steamship Abangarez and sank in less than a minute. When the collision occurred, Breault was in the torpedo room. Upon reaching the hatch, he saw that the boat was rapidly sinking. Instead of jumping overboard to save his own life, he returned to the torpedo room to the rescue of a shipmate whom he knew was trapped in the boat, closing the torpedo room hatch on himself. Breault and Brown remained trapped in this compartment until rescued by the salvage party 31 hours later. (Medal presented by President Coolidge at the White House on 8 March 1924.)