Edward Ellsberg

Edward Ellsberg
Edward Ellsberg
Nickname(s)	"Commander Ellsberg"
Born	(1891-11-21)November 21, 1891 New Haven, Connecticut
Died	January 24, 1983(1983-01-24)(aged 91) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1914–1926, 1942–1951
Rank	Rear admiral
Unit	Principal Salvage Officer
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit(2) Order of the British Empire

Edward Ellsberg,OBE(November 21, 1891 – January 24, 1983) was an officer in theUnited States Navyand a popular author. He was widely known as "Commander Ellsberg".

Early years

Ellsberg was born inNew Haven, Connecticut,and grew up inColorado.He was one of the very fewJewswho were accepted into theUnited States Naval Academy,which graduated him with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1914. He earned his Master of Science degree from theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyin 1920. He received an honorary Eng.D. fromUniversity of Colorado at Boulderin 1929.

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 underseasalvage and rescue.In 1926, he raised the navy submarine,S-51.For that success he was promoted to the rank of commander by anAct of Congressand awarded theDistinguished Service Medalby the Navy Department, since which time he has been popularly known as "Commander Ellsberg", regardless of his rank. Ellsberg described the raising of theS-51in 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.

Return to civilian status

Poster forHell Below(1933), adapted from Ellsberg's novelPigboats

After leaving active duty, Ellsberg worked for theTide Water Oil Companyand 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 submarineS-4.The rescue efforts failed and Ellsberg returned home in early January 1928.

Ellsberg's 1931 book,Pigboats,inspired the 1933 movie,Hell Below,starringRobert Montgomery,Robert Young,Walter Huston,andMadge Evans.

His bookHell on Icewas adapted for an episode ofOrson Welles'sThe Mercury Theatre on the Airthat aired October 9, 1938, on CBS Radio.An adaptation was also presented on Welles'sThe Mercury Summer Theatre of the Air,broadcast August 9, 1946.

World War II naval service

Immediately after the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor,Ellsberg rejoined the navy. His first assignment was to conduct salvage operations at the newly liberated port ofMassawa,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 beensunk to block the harbor.

Ellsberg returned the port to operation and the ships salvaged were added to the Allies' merchant fleets. During his work inMassawa,Ellsberg reported to theLend Leasecoordinator inCairo,Egypt,US Army Major GeneralRussell Maxwell.Ellsberg renamed theSS Liebenfels,a large German freighter, salvaged and refitted at Massawa, theGeneral Russell Maxwell.He described the salvage of the port ofMassawain his bookUnder the Red Sea Sun.Ellsberg was promoted tocaptainbypresidential orderon June 19, 1942. The next year he was awarded theLegion of Meritby U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltin honor of his salvage efforts in Massawa.

InUnder the Red Sea Sun,Ellsberg complained that the American contractor that was assigned to give him administrative support was very unhelpful, but he did not name that company. The company,Johnson, Drake & Piper,itself claimed credit for clearing the port in the privately printed book, "Middle East War Projects of Johnson, Drake & Piper, Inc., for the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, 1942–1943" (New York: Johnson, Drake & Piper, Inc., 1943). That book contains photographs and drawings showing wartime projects around the Middle East.

From Massawa, Ellsberg went toNorth Africato become Principal Salvage Officer in that theater. He worked under AdmiralAndrew Cunningham,the British officer commanding naval forces in the area. Ellsberg's activities were detailed in his bookNo Banners, No Bugles.

Ellsberg, worn out from constant work, was ordered home in early 1943 to recuperate.

After a time inspecting ship construction activities, Ellsberg was sent to England in time for theNormandy Invasion,where he was instrumental in setting up theMulberry harbouroff the Normandy Beach. He also prepared 89 damaged or superannuated ships for scuttling to make artificial harbors. That operation gained him great admiration in Britain where he was appointed an honoraryOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE). Ellsberg described his experiences in his book,The Far Shore.

Retirement

Gravesite of Rear Admiral Ellsberg – Willimantic, CT

He rose to the rank ofrear admiralbefore he retired from active duty in 1951 to enjoyMaineandFloridawith his wife of 33 years. He continued to write, to lecture, and to consult on engineering projects. He died in 1983 at the age of 91, and is buried inWillimantic, Connecticut.

Decorations

Rear Admiral Ellsberg's ribbon bar:

1st Row	Navy Distinguished Service Medal						Legion of Meritwith Gold Star
2nd Row	World War I Victory Medal			American Campaign Medal			European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalwith two service stars
3rd Row	World War II Victory Medal			Officer of the Order of the British Empire			Ecuador Order of Abdon Calderón, 1st Class

Publications

Writing was an Ellsberg hobby. He wrote many articles and reports. His books include the following:

• Report on Salvage Operations: Submarine S-51.(Washington: US GPO, 1927)
• On the Bottom.(New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1929)
• Thirty Fathoms Deep.Fiction, The first in a trilogy of salvaging gold from the Santa Cruz shipwreck, (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1930)
• Pigboats.(New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1931)
  Adapted for the movieHell Below(1933)
• S-54, Stories of the Sea.( New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1932)
• Ocean Gold.The second in a trilogy of salvaging gold from the Santa Cruz shipwreck, (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1935)
• Spanish Ingots.The third in a trilogy of salvaging gold from the Santa Cruz shipwreck, republished under the titles "Submarine Treasure" & "Treasure Below". (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 theUSS 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)
• Cruise of the Jeannette,1949, about theJeannette Expedition
• 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)

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.

See also

• Marine salvage

External links

• Works by or about Edward EllsbergatInternet Archive
• Edward Ellsberg Official Website
• Chapter 3 of the online History of Kagnew Stationdescribes Ellsberg's work in Massawa.
• "Hell on Ice"(October 9, 1938) on theMercury Theatre on the Air(Indiana University Bloomington)