Hugh Clausen was born in 1888, the son of George Clausen and Agnes Webster. He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School, Essex, 1900-5; the School of Engineering at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London, 1905-7; and the City and Guilds College, South Kensington, 1912-13.

He was employed as an apprentice, 1907-9, and on the technical staff, 1909-12, at Siemens Bros Dynamo Works in Stafford. He joined Kincaid, Waller and Dawson as an engineer, 1913-14. He served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1914-18. He was a Lieutenant in HMS Benbow on a special appointment for Fleet Fire Control, 1919. He joined the Admiralty, where he worked in the Low Power Section, under the Director of Torpedoes and Mining, on design of naval fire control gear, 1920-36. He was Chief Technical Adviser, from 1936, and worked at the Admiralty Research Laboratory in Teddington, 1938-40, and the Naval Ordnance Department in Bath, from 1940.

He retired in 1953. After retirement, he acted as an engineering design consultant and wrote and lectured on engineering matters. He died on 19 January 1972.

He was awarded the OBE (military) during the First World War.