USS Breese ( DD - 122 ) USS " Breese " ( DD – 122 ) was a " Wickes " class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I , and later redesignated , DM - 18 in World War II . She was the only ship named for Captain Kidder Breese . Commissioned as a destroyer in 1919 , she undertook a number of patrol and training duties along the East Coast of the United States until being decommissioned in 1922 . Overhauled in 1931 , she returned to service with the United States Pacific Fleet on training and patrol for the next 10 years . She was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor , and following this she supported several operations during the war , laying minefields and sweeping for mines in the Pacific . Following the end of the war , she was sold for scrap in 1946 and broken up . Design and construction . " Breese " was one of 111 " Wickes " - class destroyer s built by the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919 . She , along with ten of her sisters , were constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding shipyards in Newport News , Virginia using specifications and detail designs drawn up by Bath Iron Works . She had a standard displacement of an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . On trials , " Harding " reached a speed of . She was armed with four 4 " / 50 caliber gun s , two 3 " / 50 caliber gun s , and twelve 21 - inch torpedo tube s . She had a regular crew complement of 122 officers and enlisted men . She was driven by two Parsons or Westinghouse turbines , and powered by four Normand boilers . Specifics on " Breese " ' s performance are not known , but she was one of the group of " Wickes " - class destroyers known unofficially as the ' Liberty Type ' to differentiate them from the destroyers constructed from detail designs drawn up by Bethlehem , which used Curtis steam turbine s and Yarrow boilers . The Bethlehem destroyers deteriorated badly in service , and in 1929 all 60 of this group were retired by the Navy . Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy , with most only able to make at instead of the design standard of at . The class also suffered problems with turning and weight . Ships such as " Breese " , however , performed better than this . " Breese " was the only U . S . Navy ship to be named for Kidder Breese , who had been a U . S . Navy officer during the Mexican - American War and later the Civil War . Service history . Interwar period . " Breese " was launched on 11 May 1918 out of Newport News , Virginia . She was sponsored by Gilbert McIlvaine , daughter of Breese ; and commissioned 23 October 1918 under the command of Lieutenant B . Smith . After her commissioning , she reported to the United States Atlantic Fleet and cruised for several days as an escort for convoys supporting World War I , before the end of the conflict on 11 November . Returning to Norfolk , Virginia at the end of the war , she was assigned to Destroyer Division 12 and served off the coast of Cuba on training exercises during the spring of 1919 . In July 1919 , Destroyer Division 12 was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet , based at San Diego , California . For the next year , she served with Destroyer Squadron 4 and , from June 1920 , began operating in Rotating Reserve . From October 1920 to June 1922 , she participated in division maneuvers and fleet maneuvers with the Pacific Fleet ' s main battle force , and she was placed out of commission 17 June 1922 . On 5 January 1931 , " Breese " was redesignated as a light minelayer , with the hull classification symbol of DM - 18 . Following an overhaul and conversion at Mare Island Navy Yard , she was recommissioned on 1 June 1931 . She then returned to San Diego for sea trials and standardization tests in her new role . These completed , she departed for Pearl Harbor . She was assigned to Mine Division 1 of the Pacific Fleet , and operated out of Hawaiian waters . She conducted several training exercises , including with the submarine divisions where she served as a target ship . She also served as a station ship for aircraft . She returned to San Diego in June 1937 , and placed out of commission and in reserve on 12 November 1937 . On 25 September 1939 , " Breese " was again recommissioned and assigned to Mine Division 5 of the Pacific Fleet . On 2 November 1939 , she arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard and began to conduct Neutrality Patrol off the Oregon and Washington coasts . Throughout 1940 , she cruised to different bases along the coastline of Alaska with the commander of the Alaskan Sector aboard . Upon returning , she rejoined Mine Division 5 in San Francisco and steamed for Hawaii , returning there on 10 December 1940 . Attached to Mine Division 2 in the Pacific Fleet , she took part in training exercises in the operating area and on the Maui range during much of 1941 . World War II . On 7 December 1941 , " Breese " was moored in the Middle Loch , northwest of Ford Island . She was moored to Buoy D - 3 alongside a nest of three other minelayers which were also converted " Wickes " destroyers ; , , and . At the outbreak of the attack , her crew was distracted by the initial assault on Ford Island and was buzzed by a flight of Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber s . " Breese " quickly loaded her machine guns and began firing at 07 : 57 . She and many of the other ships in the area were quickly able to mobilize a strong anti - aircraft defense which lasted throughout the morning . She was credited with hits on several Japanese aircraft and damaging at least one midget submarine . " Breese " was undamaged in the attack . Following the attack on Pearl Harbor , she remained berthed in the harbor until leaving on 26 December , carrying mail and orders for other ships . She rendezvoused with at the mouth of the harbor to offload this , then steamed east on patrol . On 6 May 1942 , she took on 84 survivors of the carrier which had sunk in the aftermath of the Battle of Midway . During the summer of 1942 , she operated out of the South Pacific On 3 August 1942 , she , along with minesweepers " Gamble " and , were laying mines in Segond Channel , Espiritu Santo . Destroyer entered the strait on escort patrol , having not been notified of the minefield , when she struck one of the mines and sank . " Breese " , which was moored in the channel , rendered aid . On 30 September 1942 , she was on a nighttime exercise off Espiritu Santo when she was damaged in a collision with the cruiser . She carried out minesweeping duties during the consolidation of the Solomon Islands from 1 – 13 May 1943 , where she was assigned to Task Group 36 . 5 alongside " Gamble " , , and . They laid mined in Blackett Strait to guard the western approaches to Kula Gulf . She supported Allied efforts around New Georgia - Rendova Vangunu from 29 June to 25 August . Assigned to Task Unit 36 . 2 . 2 , she , " Preble " and " Gamble " laid mines off Shortland Harbor , Bougainville . She then supported the occupation and defense of Cape Torokina conducting minesweeping duties there from 1 to 8 November . She later supported the Leyte landings from 12 to 24 October 1944 . She was subsequently among the ships to support the Lingayen Gulf landings from 4 to 18 January 1945 . She supported the Battle of Iwo Jima from 7 February to 7 March . She undertook mine duties supporting the Battle of Okinawa between 25 March and 30 June . In her final act of the war , she steamed in support of the United States Third Fleet near mainland Japan between 5 and 31 July . In August and September 1945 " Breese " swept mines in the East China Sea and Kyūshū - Korean area following the end of the war . On 7 November 1945 , " Breese " steamed to the west coast arriving 26 November . She transited the Panama Canal and arrived at New York City on 13 December . She was decommissioned on 15 January 1946 and sold for scrap on 16 May 1946 . She received ten battle stars for her service in World War II .