Rusting in the Mud: With No Way Out and No One Coming for the USS Ling
photo courtesy of Naval Nostalgia
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Ground in the thick mud of New Jersey’s Hackensack River, listing heavily along the bank, sits the USS Ling (SS-297). Once the pride of the New Jersey Naval Museum, the historic World War II Balao-class submarine now faces an existential crisis—rusted clean through at the bow and stern, stranded in shallow waters with no funded restoration plan, no date for rescue, and no clear path out.
Despite being named one of the state’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places by Preservation New Jersey in 2025, official recognition has brought little to no real-world relief for the rotting hull.
Why the USS Ling Remains Trapped in Hackensack
The ongoing stalemate surrounding the USS Ling boils down to severe geographic and financial hurdles:
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Shallow Waters & Draft Limits: The USS Ling draws nearly 17 feet of water, making the shallow, silted Hackensack River impossible to navigate without significant dredging.
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Bridge Obstacles: The river channel runs only a few yards before encountering a low-clearance drawbridge that seldom, if ever, opens.
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Vandalism & Flooding: A catastrophic 2018 break-in left the vessel flooded and stripped of valuable artifacts, compounding her degradation.
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Development & Ownership: The surrounding waterfront land was sold off for commercial development, and official ownership efforts have ground to a complete halt.
The last major rescue attempt took place six years ago, when dedicated volunteers patched a three-inch hole in her hull, cleaned the interior, and successfully restored her horn and dive klaxon. Their ambition was to tow her to a dry dock within two months, but geographic barriers and lack of capital ultimately aborted the mission.
From WWII Training Boat to New Jersey’s Forgotten Naval Museum
Commissioned on June 8, 1945, the USS Ling arrived too late to see active combat in World War II. However, she served an essential role as a Navy training boat before being moved to Hackensack in 1973. For over four decades, she was meticulously maintained to match her original 1945 appearance as the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum.
Today, she remains a rusting hulk visible to commuters from a nearby bridge—still technical, on paper, New Jersey’s official naval museum site, but practically abandoned to time and tides.
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Tags USS Ling New Jersey History Submarines Naval History Hackensack River Bergen County WWII Artifacts Abandoned Places
Where is Gov Sherrill?
Cut it up and cart it away.
The pieces will make a nice reef.