Edward Ellsberg 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 . " Early years . Ellsberg was born in New Haven , Connecticut , and grew up in Colorado . He was one of the very few Jews who were accepted into the United States Naval Academy , which graduated him with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1914 . He earned his Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1920 . He received an honorary Eng . D . from University of Colorado at Boulder in 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 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 . 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 . 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 . Ellsberg returned the port to operation and the ships salvaged were added to the Allies ' merchant fleets . During his work in Massawa , Ellsberg reported to the Lend Lease coordinator in Cairo , Egypt , US Army Major General Russell Maxwell . Ellsberg renamed the " S . S . Liebenfels " , a large German freighter , salvaged and refitted at Massawa , the " General Russell Maxwell " . He described the salvage of the port of Massawa in his book " Under the Red Sea Sun " . Ellsberg was promoted to Captain by presidential order on June 19 , 1942 . The next year he was awarded the Legion of Merit by FDR in honor of his salvage efforts in Massawa . In " Under 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 , Inc . , 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 beautiful photographs and drawings showing projects around the Middle East . From Massawa , Ellsberg went to North Africa to become Principal Salvage Officer in that theater . He worked under Admiral Andrew Cunningham , the British officer commanding naval forces in the area . Ellsberg ' s activities were detailed in No 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 the Normandy Invasion , where he was instrumental in preparing 89 damaged or superannuated ships for scuttling to make artificial harbors . This operation gained him great admiration in Britain where he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire ( O . B . E . ) . Retirement . He rose to the rank of Rear Admiral before he retired from active duty in 1951 to enjoy Maine and Florida with his wife of thirty three 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 in Willimantic , Connecticut . Decorations . Rear Admiral Ellsberg´s ribbon bar : Publications . Writing was an Ellsberg hobby . He wrote many articles and reports . His books include