What to Know
- A historical submarine in NJ that is part of a naval museum was intentionally flooded after vandals opened up numerous hatches, police say
- According to authorities, memorial plaques, priced at $10,000, were also allegedly stolen
- The USS Ling is a World War II-era vessel that is situated on the Hackensack River and is part of the New Jersey Naval Museum
A historical submarine in New Jersey that is part of a naval museum allegedly had memorial plaques stolen and was intentionally flooded after vandals opened up numerous hatches in what police call a "disgraceful incident."
Hackensack Police say they responded Tuesday to the USS Ling, after an unknown number of people entered the submarine, which forms part of the New Jersey Naval Museum, and “forcefully opened numerous hatches throughout the submarine, causing the interior of the submarine to flood with river wate."
This comes one day after police were also called after four bronze plaques were stolen from the USS Ling and naval museum. According to authorities the plaques were pried from a cement casing and were valued at more than $10,000.
Law enforcement says the plaques were a memorial to Naval Seaman lost during World War II.
Northjersey.com reports that Les Artschuler, vice president of the Submarine Memorial Association, which is responsible for maintaining the vessel, said that the locks were cut.
"Somebody had to know what they were doing to flood the submarine. We didn’t have enough rain to flood the boat – somebody opened the hatches," he told the publication, adding that the interior, which houses artifacts, was flooded but that the submarine did not sink.
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The USS Ling is a nearly 2,500 ton, 312-foot long World War II-era vessel that is situated on the Hackensack River and is part of the New Jersey Naval Museum.
The cost to repair the damaged interior is currently unknown, police say.
The investigation is ongoing.
