The WWII submarine USS Ling survived the dangers of a world war. However, in 1973, the old sub became the main exhibit of the New Jersey Naval Museum. Moored on the Hackensack River, the Ling had been beset by various problems in recent years including damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. But, as we’ll see, the source of the sub’s potentially terminal problems certainly isn’t natural causes.
The Ling was a U.S. Navy Balao class submarine. The Navy commissioned 120 of these subs, making them the most numerous of all American sub types during WWII. At the heart of the Balaos, diesel-powered engines drove electric generators. These in turn operated electric motors that turned the propeller shafts.
Philadelphia’s Cramp Shipbuilding Company started construction of the Ling in November 1942. Her official launch, presided over by one Mrs. E. J. Foy, wife of the captain of the U.S. battleship Oklahoma, came in August 1943. After launch, the sub went for its final fit-out at the Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts.
The post This Submarine Survived WWII Unscathed – But Now It’s Being Plagued By A Totally Different Threat appeared first on Scribol.com.