The story of the USS Ling is a sad case study of what happens to historic ships when the money and momentum to fund their upkeep runs out. Settled into the bed of the Hackensack River in Hackensack NJ, the USS Ling is trapped and in worse shape than she ever was during WWII. The ship is a Balao-Class submarine which spent a little over a year in commission between 1945 and 1946 without seeing any real action. Later converted to a training ship at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, she was donated to the Submarine Memorial Association in the 1970s and reverted back to the interior of a typical WWII submarine. A string of bad luck including vandalism and Hurricane Sandy caused expansive damage to the ship through flooding, leaving it in the state we see today.
There’s a movement to bring the ship to a new home in Louisville KY, but a few obstacles stand in the way between the USS Ling and its journey to the Atlantic - for one, her ballast tanks haven’t been serviced in years which leaves the ship unable float let alone move under her own power. Additionally, large boat traffic and the regular dredging that accompanies it has been absent from the Hackensack River for many years. Even if the submarine could float, it’s unlikely the Hackensack River would be navigable for a vessel her size. The most practical solution is to load the submarine onto a barge and tow it to dry dock for a complete overhaul. With any luck, the folks at the Louisville Naval Museum will be able to figure out a way to patch the submarine and get it into dry dock. Whatever happens, it’ll take a herculean effort to restore the USS Ling to her former glory.
It’s been freezing cold here in New York for the past few weeks, but I’m glad I stopped in to see the USS Ling this winter before it’s gone for good. I just wish that I was able to take a tour before things fell apart. Thankfully we still have the USS New Jersey in Camden and a host of other ships nearby in Battleship Cove. It’s funny - I’ve never been onboard a US WWII submarine, but I have visited the only U-Boat in the United States, U-505. Sounds like I have some post-COVID travel planning to do…
