Hackensack submarine USS Ling apparently flooded intentionally, memorial plaques stolen
Vandals climbed aboard the
USS Ling, a World War II-era submarine, and set to work.
Armed with tools to cut through locks, they worked to open hatches on the 312-foot long, 2,500-ton behemoth, letting gallons of Hackensack River water rush into the vessel. These vandals knew the inner workings of the historic ship, it seems, even opening hatches to the bilges, the lowest compartments of the submarine.
"Locks were cut," said Les Altschuler, vice president of the Submarine Memorial Association, which is responsible for maintaining the vessel. "Somebody had to know what they were doing to flood the submarine. We didn’t have enough rain to flood the boat — somebody opened the hatches."