In Frank Reade, Jr.'s Search for the Silver Whale, Frank has invented the "Dolphin," an electric submarine. They embark on a thrilling quest to find a rare, giant silver whale, which is actually a shark. Albert Tucker was first mate on a sailing ship that had gone off course. The captain decided to launch a boat to kill some seals, since their provisions were running low. The silver whale attacked the boat, eating Tucker in the process. Tucker was carrying a confession to murder in a metal box that would clear his brother who was wrongfully charged with murder. Frank and friends intend to capture the whale and retrieve the box. Of course, they meet with numerous challenges and adventures before it can be revealed whether their search was successful.
Harry Cohen wrote the Frank Reade, Sr. series as "Noname." Cohen also wrote as Harry Enton. In 1879, Luis Senarens took over the series and the pen name; he was only sixteen. Senarens began his first Frank Reade book by shoving Frank into middle-age, retiring him, and announcing that his son had taken over as an inventor. Senarens is said to have written under twenty-six names besides "Noname," but almost never as himself.