USS Ling
![]() USS Ling (SS-297), wearing camouflage paint scheme in July 1945, during sea trials.
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History | |
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Namesake | Ling, Fish |
Builder |
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Yard number | 552 |
Laid down | 2 November 1942[1] |
Launched | 15 August 1943[1] |
Commissioned | 8 June 1945[1] |
Decommissioned | 26 October 1946[1] |
Stricken | 1 December 1971 |
Honours and awards | 1 Battle Star |
Status | Former Museum Ship, at former location of the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack, New Jersey[2] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | |
Displacement | |
Length | 311 ft 8 in (95.00 m)[2] |
Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
Draft | 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2] |
Propulsion |
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Speed | |
Range | 11,000 nm (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3] |
Endurance |
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Test depth | 400 ft (120 m)[3] |
Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3] |
Armament |
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U.S.S. LING | |
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Location | Hackensack River at 150 River Street, Hackensack, New Jersey |
Coordinates | 40°52′47″N 74°2′26″W / 40.87972°N 74.04056°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1945 |
Architect | Cramp, William & Sons |
Architectural style | BALAO Class |
NRHP reference No. | 78001736[7] |
NJRHP No. | 525 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | 19 October 1978 |
Designated NJRHP | 16 January 1978 |
USS Ling (
History
Ling was laid down on 2 November 1942 by the
After
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
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.
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.[9]
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.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12]
Relocation issues
Freshwater flow in the
There are four bridges across the Hackensack River, south of the Ling,
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
- ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 261–263
- ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 13 March 2009.
- The Today Show, 28 January 2006
- ^ Coutros, Yvonne (24 October 2010), "USS Ling in Hackensack is setting for movie about doomed Soviet sub", The Record, retrieved 20 October 2012
- ^ Holl, John. "Retired Submarine, 63, Seeks Loving New Home", The New York Times, 11 February 2007. Accessed 21 October 2007.
- ^ "Former headquarters of The Record newspaper slated for demolition". North Jersey. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ "Historic military boat seized by U.S. Marshals Service in Baltimore after operator leaves a wake of concerns in multiple states". 11 January 2023.
- ^ Newark Bay/Hackensack River/Passaic River Study Area Report (PDF). Hudson-Raritan Estuary Environmental Restoration Feasibility (Report). United States Army Corps of Engineers. June 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ Newark Bay, Hackensack and Passaic Rivers – Hackensack River, New Jersey (PDF). Report of Channel Conditions 100 to 400 Feet Wide (ER 1130-2-306) (Report). 18 April 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ Holl, John (11 February 2007). "Retired Submarine, 63, Seeks Loving New Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ FER. "The sad sub in the Hack". Submarine Museums. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ NOAA Chart 12337, Passaic and Hackensack Rivers
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be found here and here.
External links
- Tour through the USS Ling inside and out by Weird NJ magazine
- Photo gallery of Ling at NavSource Naval History
- USS Ling at Historic Naval Ships Association
- Louisville Naval Museum, Inc.