Vandals Steal WWII Plaques, Flood USS Ling In Hackensack

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Four World War II commemorative plaques were reported stolen from the USS Ling Monday and the submarine was found flooded Tuesday, police said.

Police received a call from the caretaker of the submarine and naval museum that four bronze plaques were stolen, said Hackensack Police Capt. Brian Corcoran. 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.

Officers went back to the USS Ling Tuesday and found it have been purposely flooded, the captain said. Several hatches were opened throughout the submarine, causing it to fill with water.

The Hackensack Police detectives are investigating the "disgraceful incident with the hopes to locate and prosecute those responsible."

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.

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