Edward Ellsberg Books In Order

Publication Order of Under the Red Sea Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Edward Ellsberg Nonfiction Books

Edward Ellsberg was an American Soldier and author who wrote books set during the World Wars.

+Biography

Edward Ellsberg was born in 1891 in Connecticut. A Jew, Ellsberg’s time with the Military begun when he enrolled at the Naval Academy. He left in 1914 with a Bachelor of Science Degree.

It was around that time that the author joined the Navy. Though, he would eventually proceed to build his resume by earning a Master of Science Degree (MIT) and an honorary Engineering Degree (University of Colorado, Boulder).

The author made quite the name for himself in the army. He seemed to have a knack for undersea rescue and salvage, with his efforts earning him various accolades whilst also getting him promoted.
It was during his days as an active member of the Navy that Edward married Lucy Buck. Their daughter came into the world in 1921. The author’s time as an army man did not last.

A time came when he returned to civilian life and started to write his novels. The activity was just a hobby at the time, one that he couldn’t really count on to pay the bills. So Edward Ellsberg found employment with an Oil Company.

Many of Edwards works harkened back to his days in the Navy. They delved into the things he did, the people with whom he spoke and the significant events he witnessed.

Edward’s civilian life ranged from the 1920s to 1941. Then the Pearl Harbor attack happened and the author returned to the ranks of the Military, determined to do his part to bring the Second World War to a successful end.

The author was part of the team that went to Eritrea to get Massawa port back into operation. Edward had no staff of significance to help him but he still succeeded in getting Massawa into shape, not to mention salvaging various ships that were sent to aid the Allies.

Edward revisited the Massawa operation in a future book. He was also given a promotion by the president for his efforts.

But the author’s contribution to the war did not end there. Edward Ellsberg’s undersea rescue and salvage skills were put to good use in North Africa where he was sent to play a supervisory role.

Working under an Admiral by the names of Andrew Cunningham, the author did his part to support the war effort in the region. His contribution was so extensive and his work so exhaustive that by 1943, Edward was forced to go back home to recuperate.

Edward leaped at the opportunity because the constant work had well and truly worn him out. But the author’s participation in the conflicts of the time did not end there. He was in England when the Normandy Invasion took place.

His contribution to the reparation of dozens upon dozens of damaged ships earned him commendations from the British government. By the time Edward Ellsberg retired, he was a Rear Admiral. That was in 1951.

He settled down in Florida with his wife. He spent his days writing and teaching, and when the opportunity arose, he also contributed to engineering projects in his field of expertise.

By the time he died in 1983, Edward Ellsberg was 91-years-old.

+Adaptations

‘The Mercury Theater on the Air’ was an Orson Welles radio series that took ‘Hell on Ice’, an Edward Ellsberg book, and turned it into an episode in 1938.

+No Banners, No Bugles
America joined the Second World War late. Edward Ellsberg, an American, did not wait for them. By the time they joined the conflict, he had already carved out quite the reputation for himself as one of the greatest undersea salvage engineers on the planet.

As a civilian, Edward had proceeded to write many heart-pounding accounts of the journeys he took to the bottom of various water bodies in his efforts to raise doomed submarines. It seemed like the author would spend the rest of his days reporting on the glories of his past.

But then America joined the Second World War and Edward Ellsberg was drawn back into active duty. He wrote about the time he had to go to Eritrea and attempt to clear a crucial port without the benefit of equipment or a competent team.

This book finds the author in Algeria. Operation Torch is almost underway. If the Allies succeed, they will have beaten the Axis Powers back from North Africa.

As they make the necessary preparations, Edward has been positioned at an important harbor in the Mediterranean. They need him to open the port there, a task that is complicated by the fact that the French left quite a mess. Edward needs to perform a miracle before it’s too late.

Historical fiction and nonfiction repeatedly make mention of the important role Allied Salvage experts played in the Second World War, not to mention the divers. This book expounds upon those claims by showing how difficult it can be to get a harbor ready for use.

The one compliment that Edward has received on numerous occasions is the fact that, in this book, he spends a lot of time talking about his accomplishments but it doesn’t feel like he’s bragging.

+On the Bottom

A United States Navy Submarine collided with a steamship in 1925. It sunk to the depths of the Ocean, taking dozens of sailors with it. Two men must bring the submarine, a vehicle that weighs a thousand tons, to the surface.

It is an impossible mission but one that they must accomplish at all costs.

This book is a short and easy read that provides a detailed account of the efforts that were injected into bringing a submarine to the surface after it sunk in the 1920s. It marked the first time a large submarine was successfully raised from the Ocean Floor.

The men performing the salvage exposed themselves to considerable danger. It took two years to get the job done. At the time, Edward Ellsberg, the author, was the senior specialist supervising the undertaking.

The story he tells here is dramatic and it speaks to the courage of the people he worked under and over. The book is filled with a lot of technical details that only seafarers will understand or appreciate.