Edward Ellsberg : biography
Rear Admiral Edward Ellsberg, OBE (November 21, 1891 – January 24, 1983) was an officer in the United States Navy and a popular author. He was widely known as "Commander Ellsberg."
See related
- John Alden. Salvage man : Edward Ellsberg and the United States Navy. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1998)
- "Ellsberg, Edward." The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography" (1942). F:116-117.
- "Ellsberg, Edward 1891-." Contemporary Authors, 5-8(First Revision):347-348. 1969.
- "Ellsberg, Edward 1891-." Something About the Author, 7:78-79. 1975.
- "Edward Ellsberg, Naval Salvage Expert, Dies" New York Times. January 26, 1983. Page 17.
Publications
Writing was an Ellsberg hobby. He wrote many articles and reports. His books include
- Report on Salvage Operations: Submarine S-51. (Washington: US GPO, 1927)
- On the Bottom. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1929)
- Thirty Fathoms Deep. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1930)
- Pigboats. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1931) Made into the movie Hell_Below.
- S-54, Stories of the Sea. ( New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1932)
- Ocean Gold. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1935)
- Spanish Ingots. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1936)
- Hell on Ice: the Saga of the ‘Jeannette’. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1938) See the article on the USS Jeannette (1878).
- Men Under the Sea. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1939)
- Treasure Below. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1940)
- Captain Paul. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1941)
- ‘I Have Just Begun To Fight!’ the Story of John Paul Jones. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1942)
- Under the Red Sea Sun. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1946)
- No Banners, No Bugles. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1949)
- Passport for Jennifer. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Compney, 1952)
- Mid Watch, a Novel. (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1954)
- The Far Shore.(New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1960)
Return to civilian status
After leaving active duty, Ellsberg worked for the Tide Water Oil Company and began writing books about his exploits and about historical events.
In December 1927, Ellsberg volunteered for active duty to rescue survivors trapped in the sunken submarine S-4. The rescue efforts failed and Ellsberg returned home in early January 1928.
Ellsberg’s 1931 book, Pigboats, inspired the 1933 movie, Hell Below, starring Robert Montgomery, Robert Young, Jimmy Durante, and Madge Evans.
First service with the U.S. Navy
Ellsberg was commissioned in the Navy in 1914 and served on active duty until 1926. He became an expert in undersea salvage and rescue. In 1925, he raised the Navy submarine, S-51. For that success he was promoted to the rank of Commander by an Act of Congress and awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the Navy Department, since which time he has popularly been known as "Commander Ellsberg," regardless of his rank. Ellsberg described the raising of the S-51 in his 1929 book, On the Bottom.
On June 1, 1918, Ellsberg married Lucy Buck. In letters to her he signed his name as "Ned." Lucy Ellsberg bore their daughter Mary on 29 August 1921.
World War II Naval service
Immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Ellsberg rejoined the Navy. His first assignment was to conduct salvage operations at the newly liberated port of Massawa, Eritrea. Working in beastly heat with virtually no staff and poor administrative support, Ellsberg salvaged a large floating dry dock and several of the ships that had been sunk to block the harbor.