Thirty Fathoms Deep

by Edward Ellsberg

Bob Porter wants more from his life…

Stumbling across some aged parchment in a local bookshop, an idea strikes him.

The parchment is seemingly a journal that belonged to Don Jaime. The Captain of the sunken Santa Cruz.

The Santa Cruz was sunk in battle 350 years prior. But what of the treasure she was reportedly carrying?

Persuading his uncle to fund the search, he acquires a ship and crew to aid in his search.

Whilst most find this venture to be pointless and doomed to failure, Bob is determined that he will literally strike gold.

Weeks of searching the area indicated in the journal, he loses faith in his plan. Until one last tactic hooks the big fish.

Divers are deployed, plans are made and excavation begins.

Little does Bob know, this is not going to go as planned.

Each time the divers descend, they are risking their lives. Delicate equipment, storms, unforgiving terrain and a submerged wreck are sure to make this voyage dangerous.

But when his crew are acting suspiciously, Bob must wonder whether they are as trustworthy as originally thought.

Can Bob keep this salvage secret? If the Peruvian government hear of his find, they will claim ownership and he will lose it all.

With the nature of this trip kept secret until the wreckage was located, surely he has nothing to worry about?

But when company arrives, he soon realises that the government is the least of his worries.

Can Bob successfully salvage the hidden treasure from the depths of the sea? Will he be able to return home as a rich man?

Or will he and his crew perish to the secrets of the sea?

Thirty Fathoms Deep is a brilliant adventure novel, packed with action from beginning to end.



‘done in high adventure style’ – Kirkus Reviews

'Authentic material in a good yarn' - Kirkus Reviews

Rear Admiral Edward Ellsberg returned to active service with the navy the morning after Pearl Harbour, after a life of hazardous adventure in salvage operations, during which he won the United States Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal. He thereby became the first man to gain the award in peacetime. At Massawa he raised the two Italian Floating Docks, in spite of expert opinion that it was impossible. Later he served as Principal Salvage Officer under General Eisenhower in North Africa and afterwards in the Normandy Invasion. Rear Admiral Ellsberg was awarded the C.B.E. by His Majesty King George VI, and two Legions of Merit by the United States Government.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Edward Ellsberg (1891-1983) graduated first in his class from the United States Naval Academy in 1914. After he did a stint aboard the USS Texas, the navy sent Ellsberg to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for postgraduate training in naval architecture. In 1925, he played a key role in the salvage of the sunken submarine USS S-51 and became the first naval officer to qualify as a deep-sea diver. Ellsberg later received the Distinguished Service Medal for his innovations and hard work.

Rear Admiral Ellsberg was awarded the C.B.E. by His Majesty King George VI, and two Legions of Merit by the United States Government.

Reviews

[Arthur Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner extrordinaire.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book; it was a fun, light-hearted romp involving a search for sunken treasure, various dangers and difficulties involved in an underwater salvage, and pirates. There are a couple of moments in the book that are a 'sign of the times in which it was written' involving the captain's steward; fortunately, they are few and far in-between. There was not much character development; it was written for both adults and teenagers/young adults, so it is fairly simple in terms of the characters and how they interact with each other. It is an 'all-male cast and crew,' so there were no women in the book at all.

I found it funny that I kept thinking of the "young hero" as being a teenager when he is actually either a college student or has just graduated from college. I found myself continually reminding myself he was older, that he was no longer in high school. It also struck me as amusing that Bob (the youthful hero) had a rich uncle who was also a banker and could not only afford to subsidize the expedition but is as willing to do so as he is, regardless of zero guarantee of success.
Granted, it is a given the expedition will be a success, but it was still amusing how little of an argument the uncle puts up for financing the expedition.

One other thing that struck me as "funny" was how Murphy's Law was in full effect. I have not read any other books about underwater salvage, so I do not know how often problems occur, especially at a time when it was still a fairly new process with the technology available at the time. That being the case, it seemed like just about anything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong, with the divers while they were working underwater. "Something happened" to each of the divers that was life-threatening, and I thought the author did a nice job coming up with solutions on how each driver dealt with each respective situation.

That was not the only 'thing' that I found funny. One of the divers getting drunk two days in a row while on the ocean's bottom was an interesting mystery, and the way it was 'solved' was cleverly explained, in my opinion. I thought it was amusing when the diver explained how he was getting drunk like he was (drinking wine that was hundreds of years old, "the good stuff!").
Also, when the 'pirate vessel' is damaged and sinks to the bottom, it seemed pretty darn convenient that the El Fuego not only 'landed' on top of the sunken Spanish cargo ship, but drove it beneath the ocean's bottom, burying it under the "modern" vessel and the ocean's mud and silt.

It was well-written; it was pretty clear the author 'knew his stuff' (based on his life experiences) and it came across in the technical details of the novel. It held my interest throughout the entire novel, and it was also informative in terms of how underwater salvage operations may or may not have transpired during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was a fast read, and I enjoyed reading it.

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rollicking adventure tale complete with pirates and looted Aztec gold.

First published in 1930. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, there are a few uncomfortable racist terms. Cringeworthy, the dialogue given to Fitz, the only African-American on board the ship. A steward.

Guess the few politically incorrect portions were a sign of the times during which it was written and initially published, but it still made me squirm with discomfort.

Hazardous diving sections quite brilliantly described and rather nerve-wracking. A good reminder of how far we've come technology wise. And socially.

Will be reading more. Have a couple of the Commander's books sitting waiting to be opened.

[Patrick R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellsberg's novel is dated, but it was written before WWII. If you can't stand the reality of the way hard men spoke in those days, don't bother reading it - you'll wet your panties. Other than that, the story is simple and exciting. Ellsberg comes by his knowledge of salvage operations honestly - he was Eisenhower's head salvage man in North Africa and played a critical role in the Normandy invasion. Read anything and everything you can find by this true American Hero.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A diving text book

The story was light as designed for fourth grade readers. Not much intensity or intrigue with simple characterization and a feel good ending.

[Ed McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

At times I hated putting this down but had to because life gets in the. Way sometimes. You know things like work

[Cathy Malkoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Adventure - Easy Reading

I much enjoyed this book. A great adventure for easy reading on the beach or any trip. Ellsberg knows his stuff!

[Don Carling]

I found this one a good read. I enjoyed the plot and descriptions.