BREAULT, HENRY
Rank and organization: Torpedoman Second Class,
U.S. Navy. Born: 14 October, 1900, Putnam, Conn. Accredited to: Vermont.
G.O. No.: 125, 20 February 1924.
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.
