Evening star., 1947-11-03
.CIafence GuIbranson,
Retired Navy Captain,
Dies al Home Here

Capt. Clarence Gulbranson, ST,
U. S. N, retired, died yesterday at
his home at 3726 Morrison street
NV, after long illness. He FORM
erly had been hospitalized at the
Bethesda Naval Medical Center.
Capt. Gulbranson was a native of
Chicago and was appointed to the
Naval Academy in 1908.
|. He was captain of the color guard
and after his graduation in 1912 he
served five years as junior officer
aboard the battleship Michigan. In
1915 when the ship won the battle
feet efficiency pennant, Capt. Gull
branson was one of six officers to
receive a letter of commendation
from President Wilson.
He was assigned to shore duty in
1920 as recruiting officer at Phila-
delphia, but went back to sea in
1922 as executive officer and later
commanding officer of the destroyer
Childs.
In Nicaraguan Campaign.
Capt. Gulbranson was named
chief of staff and flag secretary to
Rear Admiral Julian Latimer of
the Special Service Squadron in
1925, and took part in the second
Nicaraguan campaign. He was also
flag secretary to Rear Admiral Noble
Irwin on a naval mission to Brazil
in 1927.
In 1923 he was war plans and
personnel officer of the 4th Naval
District at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard and, after sea duty on the bat
tleship Utah and destroyer Mont
gomery and as commander of De-
stroyer Division Is, he was made
shop superintendent of the yard.
AS commanding officer of the de-
stroyer Aylowin in 1885. he was
awarded the Belgian Military Cross
for taking the ship through the
Brussels Locks. 1t was the biggest
and first American ship to go
through the locks and Capt. Gull
branson is said to have accomplished
the feat after pilots had doubted it
could be done. He was official
American representative to the
Worlds Fair in Brussels then and,
while his ship was docked, Queen
Astrid and King Leopold visited
aboard her. He later was COM
mander of Destroyer Division % and
inspector of the Fort Mifflin Naval
Ammunition Depot in Philadelphia
While he was skipper of the trans
port Orizaba in 1941 he received a
Navy commentator for taking
load of Marines to Iceland under
adverse conditions and picking up
four nurses who had been adrift on
a lifeboat for IL hours. The nurses
boat had been torpedoed.
Served on Testing Board.
In World War II Capt. Gulbran-
son was commodore of Transport
Division l and took part in the
North African landings After his
return from Africa he was ordered
to the staff of Admiral H. K Hewitt,
of the amphibious
training command of the United
oIdtCo AtldilClC rlCcG. Iii CIllS Cd-
pacity he was sent to Florida to
select the most suitable site for an
amphibious training base. He Sc
lected Fort Pierce, Fla. and COM
missioned the base in January, 1943.
He was commanding officer there
and senior member of the Joint
Army Navy Experimental and Test
ing Board until 1945.
He was then ordered to the Bu-
reau of Ordnance here, where he
was assigned until his retirement
last January l..
He was member of the New York
Yacht Club, the Army Navy Club
here, the American Society of Naval
Engineers and the Philadelphia
Athletic Club.
Survivors are his mother. Mrs.
Matilda Gulbranson, and two sisters,
Miss Lillian and Miss Grace Gull
branson of River Forest, III. His
wife,, Mrs. Marie Helene Gillespie
Gulbranson. died in 1914.
Funeral services will be held at
10 am. Wednesday at Fort Myer
Chapel. Burial will be in Arlington
Cemetery.