A national and state historic landmark in Hackensack, NJ is in crisis.
The USS Ling, a Balao class submarine that served our nation in WWII is stuck in the mud in the Hackensack River in Hackensack, NJ.
The submarine has been at its present location since 1973 when the title was transferred to the Submarine Memorial Association who operated a museum at the site.
CALLING ALL WANNA-BE MOVIE STARS! https://theridgewoodblog.net/calling-all-wanna-be-movie-stars/
For many years, the submarine offered tours to the public until hurricane Sandy devastated the museum buildings at the site and swept away the gangway to board the submarine. Years later the submarine interior flooded due to a lack of maintenance of the hull that allowed it to corrode.
photo by ArtChick Photography https://artchickphotography.
I along with many others in our community stepped up to help to try and preserve this important piece of our nation’s history in 2020, but our efforts have ground to halt since early 2021 for a number of reasons.
I am not writing here to ask for donations or volunteer support at the site. No one is collecting money or working on preserving the submarine at this time. The USS Ling needs the support of her community to survive. We need to show our community and state leaders that we want to preserve the USS Ling as a memorial to those who served our nation in her time of need.
A river walk is being constructed along the Hackensack River alongside the USS Ling. I envision that the USS Ling can be indefinitely preserved where it sits and that it can be integrated into the river walk and surrounded on all sides and kept dry so that it will not suffer any further damage from the river. The river walk will allow visitors to see the submarine memorial from all sides and also observe the preservation work that will likely require several years to stabilize and prepare the vessel for exterior presentation.
photo by ArtChick Photography https://artchickphotography.
I know firsthand that the USS Ling can be preserved with the support of the community. The leak that led the to the interior flooding has been repaired and the condition of the hull and many systems is now documented. Local businesses have been consulted and have agreed that the submarine can be enclosed in a dam, excavated, further repaired and preserved.
If you believe that this important piece of history deserves to be preserved to honor those who served our nation, I ask that you please write to your local, state and federal representatives. Please help to spread the word, increase awareness and show our leaders that we believe this important piece of our history must be saved.
I thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
David Prieto
Fair Lawn, NJ
I don’t know why Bergen county can’t find a place to put this. there’s plenty of land in the Meadowlands. how much are we really talking about here, to move it with a tugboat or tractor trailer lowboy with a crane. I’m sure we can find one of the largest contractors in New Jersey to help out.
Plenty of room in the new Ridgewood garage.
lol
It’s stuck in the mud. You would need to dredge around it (mob/demob is tens of thousands, + dredging, + disposal costs), float it somehow, and then move it. We are talking alot of money to move this sub.
Honestly, it may be time to just scrap it. Why throw good money after bad, even private money? It was nice, but that generation is now mostly gone, and frankly, hardly anyone cares to visit a rusting old hulk of military hardware from another by-gone era. It’s iron, and it will continue to deteriorate. Perhaps it can be sunk for the benefit of marine life, and divers to visit. A sunken memorial if you will.
This important piece of history must be saved.
This is an historic piece of US history and a monument to all submariners. The USS Ling must be saved! Put out the word and donations and volunteers will come from all over to save her! As always GO NAVY!