Men Under the Sea

Commander Edward Ellsberg chronicles his experiences in marine salvage, beginning with his leadership of the effort to raise the sunken submarine S-51 off Long Island. Men Under the Sea serves as both a tribute to and history of deep-sea salvage workers who risk their lives in extreme underwater conditions. Drawing on his expert knowledge, Ellsberg recounts several major salvage operations. He details the sinking of the submarine S-4 after a collision with forty sailors aboard, and his race to the scene to search for potential survivors. The book also covers famous underwater missions including the recovery of £5 million in gold from the wreck of the Laurentic, the retrieval of treasures from the ocean floor, and the rescue of thirty-three survivors from the submarine Squalus. Ellsberg's firsthand experience places him at the center of some of the world's most significant wrecks, which he presents through narrative accounts of these historical underwater operations.