VICTOR S. GAULIN, LT, USN

Victor Gaulin '30

Date of birth: December 13, 1906

Date of death: January 4, 1941

Age: 34

Lucky Bag

From the 1930 Lucky Bag:

VICTOR SOLOMAN GAULIN

Lowell, Massachusetts

"Vic" "Thug"

"OH, Meester Gaulin, on etudiezvous le francais? I give you a five-O, Mr. Gaulin." These and various similar remarks instantly suggest one person to us—Thug, the French savoir. Gifted with a natural linguistic ability, and equipped with a thorough foundation, Thug moved smoothly through the French course gaining 3.8's and 3.9's with no effort at all. Nor was he far behind in the other subjects. He spent most of his time in the first and second sections and could sling chalk with the best of them.

Speaking of slinging things reminds us that Thug was not half bad with a lacrosse stick. Every spring he drew his stick and dashed around with the rest of our devotees of the gentle game of lacrosse, and did his share of "ham and egging." Company sports received attention from Thug, too.

Nor were women left out of his scheme of things. Although he was not late returning from liberty as habitually as was his roommate, he managed to work in a little dragging occasionally.

So, all in all. Thug's was a rather balanced schedule, a little work, a little sport, a little of the women, and plenty of sleep. "C'est bien."

Lucky Bag Staff 2; Gymkhana Cast 4; Wrestling 4, 3; Class Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1; G.P.O; 1 P.O.

VICTOR SOLOMAN GAULIN

Lowell, Massachusetts

"Vic" "Thug"

"OH, Meester Gaulin, on etudiezvous le francais? I give you a five-O, Mr. Gaulin." These and various similar remarks instantly suggest one person to us—Thug, the French savoir. Gifted with a natural linguistic ability, and equipped with a thorough foundation, Thug moved smoothly through the French course gaining 3.8's and 3.9's with no effort at all. Nor was he far behind in the other subjects. He spent most of his time in the first and second sections and could sling chalk with the best of them.

Speaking of slinging things reminds us that Thug was not half bad with a lacrosse stick. Every spring he drew his stick and dashed around with the rest of our devotees of the gentle game of lacrosse, and did his share of "ham and egging." Company sports received attention from Thug, too.

Nor were women left out of his scheme of things. Although he was not late returning from liberty as habitually as was his roommate, he managed to work in a little dragging occasionally.

So, all in all. Thug's was a rather balanced schedule, a little work, a little sport, a little of the women, and plenty of sleep. "C'est bien."

Lucky Bag Staff 2; Gymkhana Cast 4; Wrestling 4, 3; Class Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1; G.P.O; 1 P.O.

Loss

Victor was lost on January 4, 1941 when the transport plane he was aboard crashed east of San Diego.

From The Brownsville Herald on January 6, 1941:

RESCUE PLANE KILLS ELEVEN
Fog Blamed As Cause Of Crash SAN DIEGO, Calif. --(AP)-- Civil and naval officials, poking through the scattered wreckage of a $120,000 navy transport plane, asserted Monday that had the big ship been flying 20 feet higher it would have cleared the rugged Mother Grundy range and reached its destination only 20 miles away with all 11 occupants safe.
The navy arranged for an official investigation of the crash that killed everybody aboard, including four who had escaped death only last Thursday in a Texas bomber mishap. Civilian aviation observers generally blamed weather conditions. A low ceiling and dense fog made flying conditions hazardous in the area, some 35 miles southeast of here, and reports of neighboring ranchers said the pilot might have gotten off his radio beam.
Plane Gunned
Residents of the Simpson ranch two miles from White Mountain, the crash scene, said they heard a plane being "gunned" to gain altitude a few moments before they heard an explosion, and this brought the observation that a pilot off his beam, believing him self over San Diego because of a zone of silence, might have started down, realized his position and attempted to climb out of danger.
The craft struck just 20 feet below the ridge, exploded and burned. Wreckage was hurled over the top of the 3000-foot granite summit and scattered over a half-mile area. The big plane, en route to the naval air station here, carried three members of a board of inquiry appointed to investigate the Texas accident, and the four survivors of that previous mishap. The four had parachuted to safety when their bomber, being ferried from here to Pensacola, Fla., by way of corpus Christi, Tex., encountered a severe storm. A fifth crew member "bailed out" but was killed when his 'chute failed to open. The pilot and co-pilot, who risked their lives to ride out the storm and land the ship on a small pond, proved ultimately to be the only survivors of the seven aboard the bomber.
Dead The dead were Lt. Comdr. Joseph Henry Gowan, 54, Head Hill, Ark., pilot David Everett Ferguson, 33, Neponset, W. Va., co-pilot; Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Bland Cooke, 42, Harrison, Ark., Lieut. Victor S. Gaulin, 34, Lowell, Mass., and Lieut. James Cyril Flemming, 36, Reading, Pa., members of the board of inquiry; Frank Recke, Jr.. 30, National City, Calif,, L. J. Hughes, 30, Grand Rapids, Mich.. H. B. Neff, 34, San Diego, and A. M. Parry, 31, Los Angeles, survivors of the Texas mishap; and Marvin Magee, 32, Long Branch, N, J,, and Frank Richard Naylor, 25, Dayton, Ky., crew members of the wrecked transport plane.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Victor attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School, Lowell High School and Boston University. He enlisted in the Navy on March 2, 1925.
Victor was listed on the October 31, 1939, roster of the Chemical Warfare School in Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. Fr atchd duty to reld, left post, 6th.
The night before the crash, Victor and four others were enjoying a celebration steak dinner at Settles Hotel in Big Springs, Texas. Stephen B. Cooke had just received word of his promotion to full Commander. The others were Lieutenant Commander Joe Gowan, Lieutenant James Fleming, and writer Jack Douglas.
Cooke, Fleming and Victor had just finished investigating the forced landing of a PBY in Texas. Four men who survived this crash died in the crash with Victor. One man had been sent by ambulance from the La Mesa Hospital in Texas to board the plane. Oddly, the plane crash happened outside of San Diego near the La Mesa (California) Forestry station.
Victor’s parents were born in Canada. His father Salomon was a shoemaker. His sister was Gilberte. His brothers were Achille Gabriel, born 1897; Leo, born 1901; Gaston who died in 1924 at age 15 after an appendectomy; and Roland who became a reverend in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Plattsburg, New York.
Victor was survived by his wife Eleanor Marie, one-year-old son Richard, and a daughter Eleanore Diane, who lived in San Diego. He is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, section 8, just northwest of the Air Force Memorial.

Photographs

From The Salt Lake Tribune on January 6, 1941

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

October 1930

Ensign, USS Marblehead

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 5S)

January 1931

Ensign, USS Marblehead

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 5S)

April 1931

Ensign, USS Marblehead

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 5S)

July 1931

Ensign, USS Marblehead

Others at this command:

LT Raymond Tuttle '22

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 5S)

October 1931

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

October 1932

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Jack Richardson '19
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Charles Signer '26
1LT Lofton Henderson '26

LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27
ENS Mack Vorhees '30
ENS Oliver White '30
2LT Paul Moret '30

ENS Cleon Felton '31
ENS James Murphy '31
ENS Alfred Tucker, III '31
ENS Charles Crommelin '31
ENS Harrington Drake '31

January 1933

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS John Yoho '29

ENS Lance Massey '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Henry Mullinnix '16 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

April 1933

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS John Yoho '29

ENS Lance Massey '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

CDR Henry Cecil '10 (USS Lexington)
LT Harry Brandenburger '21 (USS Lexington)
LT Edwin Crouch '21 (USS Lexington)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Eugene Lindsey '27 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Walter Bailey '31 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Albert Major, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

July 1933

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS John Yoho '29

ENS Lance Massey '30

LTjg Charles Ostrom '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

October 1933

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

LTjg John Yoho '29

ENS Lance Massey '30

LTjg Charles Ostrom '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS John Fairbanks, Jr. '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

April 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

LTjg John Yoho '29

ENS Lance Massey '30

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Thorn '32 (USS Lexington)

July 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LCDR William Sample '19 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Lance Massey '30 (USS Lexington)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)

October 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS Philip Ashworth '31

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR Ryland Tisdale '15 (USS Lexington)
LCDR William Sample '19 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Lance Massey '30 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)

January 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

ENS Philip Ashworth '31

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR William Sample '19 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT William Eaton '21 (USS Lexington)
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

LTjg Edwin Kelly '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Lance Massey '30 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)

April 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command:

LTjg Philip Ashworth '31

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington:

LCDR William Sample '19 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT William Eaton '21 (USS Lexington)
LT James Carney '21 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Walter Dey '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)

LTjg Baylies Clark '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Lance Massey '30 (USS Lexington)
LTjg Eugene Lytle, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS Daniel Gothie '32 (USS Lexington)
ENS Edward Worthington '34 (USS Lexington)

October 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 3F, Coco Solo, Canal Zone

Others at this command:

LTjg Donald Lovelace '28

LTjg William Oliver '29

January 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 3F, Coco Solo, Canal Zone

Others at this command:

LTjg Donald Lovelace '28

LTjg William Oliver '29

April 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 3F, Coco Solo, Canal Zone

Others at this command:

LTjg Donald Lovelace '28

LTjg William Oliver '29

July 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 3F, Coco Solo, Canal Zone

January 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Plane Squadron (VP) 3F, Coco Solo, Canal Zone

April 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), Training Plane Squadron (VN) 8D5, Naval Academy

September 1937

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT Earl Olsen '26 (Engineering Experiment Station, Naval Academy)

January 1938

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT Earl Olsen '26 (Engineering Experiment Station, Naval Academy)

July 1938

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT Earl Olsen '26 (Engineering Experiment Station, Naval Academy)

January 1939

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

LT Earl Olsen '26 (Engineering Experiment Station, Naval Academy)

October 1939

Lieutenant, under instruction, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:

MAJ Stuart King '20 (Marine Barracks)

LCDR Edwin Crouch '21 (Naval Gun Factory)

June 1940

Lieutenant, Patrol Squadron (VP) 14, San Diego, California

November 1940

Lieutenant, Patrol Squadron (VP) 14, San Diego, California

Class of 1930

Victor is one of 42 members of the Class of 1930 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

← Herbert Baker, Jr. '30

Baylies Clark '30 →

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.

VICTOR S. GAULIN, LT, USN

Victor Gaulin '30

Lucky Bag

VICTOR SOLOMAN GAULIN

VICTOR SOLOMAN GAULIN

Loss

Other Information

Photographs

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Navy Directories & Officer Registers

October 1930

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