WWII Plaques Returned To USS Ling Museum, 4 Charged

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Four World War II commemorative plaques that were reported stolen from the USS Ling last month have been returned to the submarine museum.

The plaques were returned to a member of the association that oversees the museum. That member returned them to the museum. That member advised Gibert Delaat of the museum that he was safe guarding the plaques from being destroyed or stolen before they and other artifacts were removed from the submarine, said Hackensack Police Capt. Peter Busciglio.

Delaat told police that he and other members of the association were not aware that a member had taken the plaques and do not want any further action taken against one of their members.

Four people were charged with trespassing July 28 after they were seen on the submarine museum and later identified via video footage as part of an investigation into who stole the plaques and flooded the facility, said Busciglio. (See related: Vandals Steal WWII Plaques, Flood USS Ling In Hackensack)

The four individuals charged were: Edward Johnson, 33, of Commack, New York; Stacey Bouley, 34, of Worchester, Massachusetts, Robb Hemberger, 37, of Island Park, New York, and Jon Stevens, 48, of West Haven, Connecticut. A member of the museum signed a criminal complaint against them Wednesday, police said.

The four plaques were reported stolen from the museum last month. A few days later, police discovered the museum had been flooded after several hatches were left open, authorities said.

The plaques are a memorial to U.S. Navy seamen. They were pried from a cement casing and worth more than $10,000, he said.

Stevens and Laura B. Palmese, 38, of Colcheser, Connecticut, were charged with burglary and theft after they allegedly stole a lantern and a Medical Corps Lieutenant shoulder lapel from the museum. They swam through the Hackensack River and into the flooded museum to steal the items, police said. (See related: Thieves Swam Through River To Steal From USS Ling In Bergen: Cops)

The USS Ling was launched in August 1943 and commissioned in June 1945. It was decommissioned in October 1946. It was brought to Hackensack as the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum in 1972.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: The USS Ling before it was flooded. (YouTube screenshot)