Old Sub Not Sunk Yet

USS Ling sailing to new shores in Hoboken after years of neglect and eviction.

OCTOBER 5, 2020 — HACKENSACK, NJ The USS Ling, a Balao Class submarine built in 1943, sits in the muddy Hackensack River on October 5, 2020. The volunteers of Save the USS Ling were able to repair the onboard lighting fixtures days prior to this photo being taken. (Photo by Russell Sullivan)

HACKENSACK- With the sound of air hissing through hundreds of feet of air hoses, a World War II submarine that was once considered a lost cause is now floating again after being stuck for years at the bottom of the muddy Hackensack River.

The USS Ling, a 1943 built submarine located in Hackensack, was left for dead after a series of setbacks such as flooding, theft, and eviction from its former landowner. But after a group of dedicated volunteers stepped up in September of 2019 to restore the sub, plans are now underway to transport it to its new home in Hoboken, NJ.

“We pretty much did the impossible and salvaged a sunken submarine with Harbor Freight tools and volunteers.”

Joe Sullivan, the Chief Engineer of the project Save the USS Ling, says his team of volunteers have conquered tremendous strides in making the submarine float once again in just over a year’s work, despite what naysayers said.

“People said that it was a lost effort and that it couldn’t be done,” said Sullivan, who drives to Hackensack from New Haven, CT almost every weekend to volunteer. Sullivan and his team of volunteers have conquered tremendous strides in making the submarine float once again in just over a year’s work, despite what naysayers said.

OCTOBER 3, 2020 — HACKENSACK, NJ — FLOODED WATERLINE: Joe Sullivan, the head engineer of the project “Save the USS Ling”, observes the flood waterline inside the USS Ling in Hackensack, NJ on October 3, 2020. A hole in the hull caused the submarine to flood about 10 feet deep, but Sullivan and his team were successfully able to temporarily patch the hole and pump out the water several months ago. (Photo by Russell Sullivan)

“We pretty much did the impossible and salvaged a sunken submarine with Harbor Freight tools and volunteers,” Sullivan said.

Left: An initial damage assessment shows the significant flood damage inside the USS Ling in Hackensack, NJ during the month of September 2019. (Photo courtesy of Save the USS Ling / with permission). Right: A detailed photograph taken on October 10, 2020 shows the condition of the old air gauges inside the USS Ling. These gauges were completely submerged when the submarine was flooded, leaving a handful inoperable. (Photo by Russell Sullivan)

Sullivan, who is currently enlisted as a machinist’s mate for the United States Navy in New Haven, has led the group of volunteers to pump out flood water that leaked into the hull of the Ling from a three-inch rust hole, and is now in the process of making the ballast tanks operational again to allow the sub to float even higher.

“We made our new systems with what they call in the marine service “bridal air” so we can put air into our ballast tanks without using the onboard air system,” Sullivan said. “And now we’re floating at high tide.”

Left: From left to right: Joe Sandman, Joe Sullivan, and Bryan Juncosa observe a volunteer tightening a pipe aboard the USS Ling in Hackensack, NJ on October 10, 2020. The pipes and gauges are part of a custom-made manifold to control the air pressure going into the ballast tanks. Right: With the airlines hooked up to the ballast tanks, the USS Ling emits silt into the Hackensack River from its flood ports on October 10, 2020. The heavy silt that has been trapped in the ballast tanks has weighed the Ling down, making it difficult for the sub to stay afloat. (Photos by Russell Sullivan)

The volunteers involved with saving the neglected submarine, led by the Louisville Naval Museum, are a group of naval enthusiasts, active Navy, and retired Navy veterans who all share a common interest in saving an important piece of American history.

The volunteers of the October 10, 2020 “Save the USS Ling” work session pose for a photo around the ballast tank air manifold they created hours earlier. (Photo by Russell Sullivan).

Richard Calabro, a former volunteer responsible for restoring the USS Ling when it first arrived at Hackensack in 1973, was pleased to see the progress made after walking through the submarine for the first time since the flood water was cleaned up.

“All these gentlemen have done fine yeomen work,” Calabro said. “It makes me happy.”

Eric Harriz (L) and Alan Ballester (R) construct the temporary ballast tank air manifold aboard the USS Ling in Hackensack, NJ on October 10, 2020. The ballast tanks are being filled with air in an effort to pump out trapped silt that is weighing the submarine down. Harriz and Ballester have both dedicated hundreds of hours in restoring the USS Ling. (Photo by Russell Sullivan).

Word about the restoration spread through a “Save the USS Ling” Facebook page which is credited for creating a large pool of volunteers from across the country. The page, which also posts weekly updates on the progress of the submarine, now has over 2700 members.

Though the volunteers have accomplished an important goal of making the 2500-ton submarine capable of floating again, there is still a long list of work to be done before the submarine can be displayed as a museum piece once again.

A welder attaches piping to a hatch on the exterior of the USS Ling on October 10, 2020 in order to send air into the ballast tanks. The air-lines are temporarily being attached to the exterior of the ballast tanks for convenience purposes until the submarine can be repaired. (Photo by Russell Sullivan).

“This boat hasn’t been out of the water in 40-some odd years, so there are a lot of repairs to be made.”

The next step the Louisville Naval Museum will take to restore the USS Ling is to transport the sub 22 miles down the Hackensack River and Newark Bay to Caddell Dry Dock in Staten Island, NY. The move is expected to take place in the spring of 2021.

“This boat hasn’t been out of the water in 40-some odd years, so there are a lot of repairs to be made,” said Chris Kerrigan, Public Relations Director for Save the USS Ling.

The brackish Hackensack River water has caused numerous catastrophic rust holes in the submarine, including one that ate through 3/4-inch-thick pressure hull which caused the sub to flood. The volunteers were able to temporarily patch this hole earlier this year.

Once the temporary repairs to the outer hull are made, the group is finalizing plans to transport the submarine to its new home at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ. Once there, interior restoration will continue until the submarine is ready to be opened as a museum again.

The work has been funded by businesses and private donors, who have collectively donated thousands of dollars in supplies and money, according to the Louisville Naval Museum. Fire departments and dive teams have assisted with dredging the surrounding area of the submarine and finding where the rust holes are located.

The Northeast Public Safety Dive Team (NePSD) assists with locating rust holes on the USS Ling below the surface of the Hackensack River on October 24, 2020. Outside organizations, like the NePSD, have assisted with the USS Ling’s restoration by offering special services. (Photos by Russell Sullivan).

But for now, a flag atop the USS Ling saying “Don’t Give Up the Ship” will continue to fly above the volunteers onboard and give them the motivation they need to finish the task of restoring the submarine.

About the Author:

Photo by Alan Ballester

Russell Sullivan is a senior at Montclair State University studying Television/Digital Media with a focus in documentary production graduating in Fall of 2020. Growing up in Bergen County and spending the summers at the Jersey Shore, Sullivan has a passion for his home state of New Jersey, including discovering the unique history the Garden State contains.