USS Ling (SS-297)

USS ''Ling'' (hull number SS-297) is a ''Balao''-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for the ling fish, also known as the cobia. The vessel was built during World War II, but was completed in the final months of the conflict and so saw no action. She was placed in reserve in 1946 until being converted into a training ship in 1960. In 1971, she was struck from the naval register and donated to the Submarine Memorial Association for use as a museum ship. The ship was grounded in the Hackensack River at the former location of the defunct New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack, New Jersey. Since 2016, ''Ling'' has been inaccessible to the public.

History

''Ling'' was laid down on 2 November 1942 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia. She was launched on 15 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E. J. Foy, and was moved to the Boston Navy Yard for completion and testing. ''Ling'' was commissioned on 8 June 1945. (The 3 year 7 month period between keel laying to commissioning was unusually long for a World War II submarine.)

After shakedown and further installations, ''Ling'' headed out to sea to test her equipment on 15 September 1945, 13 days after Japan had formally surrendered. The submarine was based at Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut until she sailed on 11 February 1946 for the Panama Canal Zone, arriving eight days later. She operated out of Panama until 9 March when she sailed north. She completed inactivation on 23 October at New London and was decommissioned on 26 October 1946. ''Ling'' entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, after having been in commission for only 1 year, 4 months and 18 days.

In March 1960, ''Ling'' was towed to Brooklyn, New York, where she was converted into a training ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, simulating all aspects of submarine operations. She was reclassified an Auxiliary Submarine (with the hull number AGSS-297) in 1962.

''Ling'' received the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal for her service. ''Ling'' was reclassified a Miscellaneous Unclassified Submarine (with the hull number IXSS-297), and struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1971.

Museum ship

Six months later the USS ''Ling'' was donated to the Submarine Memorial Association, a non-profit organization formed in 1972 with the purpose of saving ''Ling'' from the scrap yard. They petitioned the Navy to bring the boat to Hackensack, New Jersey to serve as a memorial "to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country." Many citizens and corporations contributed time, professional services, and funds toward the restoration of ''Ling''. She arrived at her present home in New Jersey in January 1973, where she was restored to near-mint condition—scrubbed, painted, and polished for public tours—through the efforts of the association. The compartments were refurbished and outfitted with authentic gear that recreated the bygone era of the World War II battle submarine. She was the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum at 78 River St., Hackensack, New Jersey.

X-rays showed that the submarine's five safes contained documents and metallic objects, but the combinations had long been lost. On 27 January 2006, Jeff Sitar, the eight-time world champion locksmith, opened the safes using only his fingers and an electronic sound amplifier, rather than drills or explosives. In the safes, he found a wide variety of objects, including a dozen pennies, two .45-caliber bullets, a ring of keys, many training and maintenance manuals and parts catalogs from the 1940s and 1950s, and two cans of 190-proof ethanol.

In the American-produced Russian language film ''Katya'' shot in 2010, the ''Ling'' was used for a set to depict the Soviet ''K-129'' diesel-electric powered submarine which sank on 8 March 1968 northwest of Oahu.

Site

From 1972 until the closing of the New Jersey Naval Museum, the Museum had paid one dollar per year to rent its riverside site for ''Ling''. In January 2007, the North Jersey Media Group, owner of the site, informed the museum that the site was going to be sold for redevelopment within the year and that the museum and submarine would need to be relocated. As of September 2013 the museum itself was closed due to damage in 2012 from Hurricane Sandy. The museum closed again for emergency repairs in late July, 2015. The museum was expected to vacate the property in August 2018.

Vandalism and repair

In August 2018, the ''Ling'' was vandalized. Locks were cut on interior doors, and hatches were opened, allowing up to 14 ft of water to flood the interior of the ship. Memorial plaques were also stolen from a US Submarine Service memorial on the shore, but were later found to be on the property of one of the Museum personnel, who claimed that he had removed the plaques for 'safekeeping.'

The USS ''Ling'' was worked on by a group of volunteers, who pumped out the water and used compressed air to fill the ship's ballast tanks, allowing her to be refloated. Her final destination has yet to be determined as the original plans have fallen through. There are no plans to allow the USS ''Ling'' to be scrapped or to be allowed to deteriorate further and efforts were being made to find a new home for her, potentially in Louisville, Kentucky. The swing bridge south of her on the river is functional and is no longer an obstacle to moving her.

In September 2020 volunteers associated with the Louisville Naval Museum began to raise concerns on social media about improper accounting of donations made to the Louisville Naval Museum. The volunteers ceased working with the Louisville Naval Museum after one of the volunteers suffered a serious injury while working aboard the USS ''Ling'' in November 2020. The injured volunteer was subsequently awarded a default judgement of $468,584 in a suit against the Louisville Naval Museum.

Relocation issues

Freshwater flow in the Hackensack River has been drastically reduced for use as drinking water by the Oradell Dam. The navigable ship channel on the river has only been maintained as far north as the Riverbend in Hudson County. The accumulation of silt has effectively filled in the formerly navigable channel. The present depth of the Hackensack River is too shallow to allow the Ling to move downstream, and there are no funds or plans to dredge the river, the muds of which are laced with industrial toxins. The ''Ling'' therefore cannot be moved from her location.

There are four bridges across the Hackensack River, south of the ''Ling'',NOAA Chart 12337, Passaic and Hackensack Rivers
/ref> which do not open or move. Two are vehicular bridges. Two are rail bridges, one operated by New Jersey Transit and one operated by both New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. These bridges also make moving the submarine downriver impossible.

See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bergen County, New Jersey

References

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External links

Tour through the USS Ling inside and out by Weird NJ magazine
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*
Louisville Naval Museum, Inc. Facebook page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling (SS-297)
Balao-class submarines
World War II submarines of the United States
Ships built by William Cramp & Sons
1943 ships
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack River
Museum ships in New Jersey
Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Museums in Bergen County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Bergen County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places