This website is dedicated to the life and achievements of my grandfather, RADM Edward Ellsberg. I maintain the Ellsberg Historical Archives, a collection of over 14,000 documents, photos and memorabilia. In preparation for his biography, Salvage Man, by John D. Alden, I cataloged the collection, and, in due time, will be putting many of the highlights from it onto this site for the benefit of his fans and researchers of diving and naval history.


Admiral Ellsberg was a man of many unique and diverse talents, and his achievements ranged from submarine salvage, petroleum engineering, public speaking, heroic salvage and engineering feats during World War II, to the authoring of seventeen books. His salvage of the S-51 in 1925/6 was the first time a submarine had been salvaged in the open ocean. Several of Ellsberg's inventions, including the underwater cutting torch, stabilized pontoons, and a system to rapidly raise a sunken sub were developed for this Herculean task. While he was chief engineer of Tidewater Oil he developed several patents for the oil refining business. As a public speaker he was prolific, first about the raising of the S-51, and then in the 1930's his speeches were about preparedness for war. During World War II his salvage and engineering feats had a major impact on the outcome of the war. If these achievements weren't enough, he wrote seventeen books chronicling his career, arctic exploration and many children's books about sunken treasure and other topics.


In the minds of many of his admirers he was one of the last American heroes. To me, he was simply known as "granddaddy," but today, as an adult, a man I have come to greatly admire.




Ted Pollard


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