A remarkable piece of U.S. naval history can still be found in Hackensack, New Jersey: the USS Ling (SS-297), a Balao-class submarine built during World War II.
The approximately 312-foot submarine was launched in 1943 and commissioned into the U.S. Navy in June 1945, near the end of World War II. Although built for wartime service, the Ling was completed too late to see combat before the war ended. It was decommissioned in 1946 and later used as a Naval Reserve training vessel.
After being removed from the Naval Register in 1971, the submarine was donated to the Submarine Memorial Association and brought to Hackensack in 1973, where it became the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum.
What makes the USS Ling especially significant is how much of its original World War II-era equipment has survived. Historic documentation describes its periscopes, conning tower, radio room, sleeping quarters and weapon systems as largely intact. Its diesel-electric propulsion system and torpedo rooms also provide a rare look at the technology and extremely confined living conditions aboard submarines of that era.
The vessel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been recognized as an important surviving example of World War II submarine technology. Today, however, the Ling remains grounded in the Hackensack River at the site of the former New Jersey Naval Museum rather than operating as an active museum ship.
For many people who drive through Hackensack without knowing it is there, the sight is surprising: an authentic World War II-era submarine resting only a short distance from everyday traffic in Bergen County.
Sources: National Park Service; U.S. Department of the Interior; National WWII Museum; Historic Naval Ships Association
By NJ RADAR Team