USS Ling ( SS - 297 ) USS " Ling " ( SS / AGSS / IXSS - 297 ) is a " Balao " - class submarine of the United States Navy , named for the ling fish , also known as the cobia . History . " Ling " was laid down 2 November 1942 by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . 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 Garvie Molumphy in command . After shakedown and further installations , " Ling " headed out to sea to test her equipment 15 September 1945 . The submarine based at Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut until she sailed 11 February 1946 for the Panama Canal Zone , arriving eight 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 , New York , 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 " received one battle star for World War II service . " Ling " was reclassified a Miscellaneous Unclassified Submarine ( IXSS - 297 ) , and struck from the Naval Register , 1 December 1971 . Museum ship . 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 . X - rays showed that the submarine ' s five safe s contained documents and metallic objects , but the combinations had long been lost . On 27 January 2006 , Jeff Sitar , the eight - time world champion locksmith , opened the safes using only his fingers and an electronic sound amplifier , rather than drill s or explosive s . In the safes , he found a wide variety of objects , including a dozen pennies , two . 45 - caliber bullets , a ring of keys , many training and maintenance manuals and parts catalogs from the 1940s and 1950s , and two one - quart cans of 190 - proof ethanol . ( Despite the inevitable jokes that it was the private stash of the yeoman , the alcohol would have been used for cleaning electrical contacts . ) In the American - produced Russian language film " Katya " shot in 2010 , the " Ling " was used for a set to depict the Soviet K - 129 diesel - electric powered submarine which sank on 8 March 1968 northwest of Oahu . Site . Since 1972 , the New Jersey Naval Museum had paid one dollar per year to rent its riverside site for " Ling " . In January 2007 , the North Jersey Media Group , owner of the site , informed the museum that the site was going to be sold for redevelopment within the year and that the museum and submarine would need to be relocated . Nevertheless , the museum remains in operation at the same site as of 2012 . Update Sept 2013 : the museum itself is closed due to damage in 2012 from Hurricane Sandy . Tours are still being given of the sub . The outside artifacts can still be visited . Freshwater flow in the Hackensack has been considerably altered by the Oradell Dam . The river has only been channelized to a point at the Riverbend in Hudson County . The accumulation of silt affords navigation only for small boats . The fate of the " Ling " may ultimately be connected to the ability for it to be moved from its location . The Court Street Bridge , just downstream of the museum , is the most upstream bridge over the Hackensack River required by federal regulations to open on request . In 1999 , the Code of Federal Regulations regarding bridge openings were changed at the request of Bergen County that it be required to open within four hours of a request , which had not occurred since 1994 . The decision to re - build the bridge with an operable swing span was a matter of controversy .