Joseph Berry Breck (July 12, 1828 – July 26, 1865) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.
Biography
Breck was born in Maine, the son of Benjamin Dunton Breck and Jane S. Simmons. Breck had a successful career in the American mercantile marine as a shipmaster and businessman, and at the outbreak of the Civil War was engaged in the Pacific and China trade, but soon offered his services to the Navy Department. He was eventually commissioned as an Acting Ensign on February 27, 1863. he commanded the screw steamer , taking a prominent part in the destruction of the saltworks at Masonboro Inlet, North Carolina, on August 27, 1864, and on many other expeditions ashore. while the younger, Edward Breck (1861–1929)
Namesake
The destroyer (1919–1930) was named for him.