Career
Ordered:
Laid down:	2 November 1942
Launched:	15 August 1943
Commissioned:	8 June 1945
Decommissioned:	26 October 1946
Struck:	1 December 1971
Fate:	Museum ship
General Characteristics
Displacement,   Surfaced:   Submerged:	1,526 tons (1550 t), 2,424 tons (2460 t)
Length:	311.8 ft (95.0 m)
Beam:	27.3 ft (8.3 m)
Draft:	15.3 ft (4.6 m)
Depth limit:	400 ft (120 m)
Speed,   Surfaced:   Submerged:	20.25 knots (37 km/h)   8.75 knots (16 km/h)
Propulsion:	four 5400-hp diesel engines four 2740-hp (2.0 MW) electric motors, two propellers
Submerged Endurance:	48 hours at 2 knots
Patrol Endurance:	75 days
Range:	11,000 nmi. (20,000 km)   surfaced at 10 knots
Complement:	80 officers and enlisted
Armament:	ten 21" torpedo tubes,   (six forward, four aft),   24 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun, four machine guns
Motto:

USS Ling (SS/AGSS/IXSS-297) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for the ling fish, also known as the cobia. Ling was the last of the fleet boats that patrolled American shores during World War II in response to U-Boat attacks off the coast of the United States.

Ling was laid down 2 November 1942 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia, Penn. She was launched 15 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. E. J. Foy; and was moved to the Boston Navy Yard for completion and testing. Ling was commissioned on 8 June 1945, with Commander George G. Malumphy in command.

After shakedown and further installations Ling headed out to sea to test her equipment 15 September 1945. The submarine based at New London, Conn. until she sailed 11 February 1946 for the Panama Canal Zone, arriving 8 days later. She operated out of Panama until 9 March when she sailed north. She completed inactivation 23 October at New London, decommissioned 26 October 1946, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

In March 1960, Ling was towed to Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was converted into a training ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, simulating all aspects of submarine operations. She was reclassified an Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-297) in 1962.

Ling was reclassified a Miscellaneous Unclassified Submarine (IXSS-297), and struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1971, and six months later the old 297 was donated to the Submarine Memorial Association , a non-profit organization formed in 1972 with the purpose of saving Ling from the scrap yard. They petitioned the Navy to bring the boat to Hackensack, New Jersey to serve as a memorial "...to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country". Many citizens and corporations contributed time, professional services, and funds toward the restoration of Ling. She arrived at her present home in New Jersey in January 1973, where she has been restored to near-mint condition—scrubbed, painted, and polished for public tours—through the efforts of the association. The compartments have been refurbished and outfitted with authentic gear that recreates the bygone era of the World War II battle submarine. She is now the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum at 78 River St, Hackensack, New Jersey.

Ling received one battle star for World War II service.

References

External links

• history.navy.mil: USS Ling
• navsource.org: USS Ling
• hazegray.org: USS Ling

• New Jersey Naval Museum website