Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS vol. IV, Ling (SS-297) entry - Cramp construction, Boston commissioning, postwar reserve/training service (Internet Archive scan of the official DANFS volume; live NHHC page returned 404; ibiblio mirror also retrieved) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. IV (L-M), Ling entry and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (printed DANFS vol. IV): laid down 2 November 1942 by Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia; launched 15 August 1943 (sponsor Mrs. E. J. Foy); commissioned at Boston 8 June 1945, Comdr. George G. Malumphy; equipment tests from 15 September 1945; based at New London; Panama Canal Zone operations February-March 1946; inactivation completed 23 October at New London; decommissioned 26 October 1946 into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; towed to Brooklyn, NY, March 1960 as a Naval Reserve training submarine; reclassified AGSS-297; 'continued to serve in that capacity into 1969.' One battle star credited in secondary sources (unverified - she saw no combat; in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Cramp construction trades (1942-45); Boston Navy Yard fit-out trades (1945); crew (1945-1946); Naval Reserve trainees (1960-1971)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page returned 404 - Internet Archive scan of the official printed volume used (verbatim DANFS text); ibiblio DANFS mirror also retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-01
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[2]National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listing, U.S.S. LING, NRHP 78001736 (added 19 October 1978); NJ Register 525 (16 January 1978); nomination form retrieved via NPGallery [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NRIS 78001736 asset detail + nomination form (NPGallery GetAsset d1a55c49)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP 78001736, added 19 October 1978) and the New Jersey Register (525, 16 January 1978), located 'Hackensack River at 150 River St., Hackensack' (Bergen County). MATERIAL DETAIL: the 1977 nomination describes 'a thin outer hull and a 15/16-inch thick inner pressure hull (plus 1-inch cork insulation) between which are various fuel, water and ballast tanks' - a ship-specific insulation-material statement (cork insulation, not asbestos, in the between-hulls application). The nomination also records: an original (unconverted) Balao-class submarine built by Cramp; fitted out at the Boston Navy Yard; four Fairbanks-Morse diesels rated 6,400 shp 'have had only 600 hours of use'; complement given as 'a normal complement of 85 men' (variant vs DANFS 66).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1977-1978 (nomination/listing)
- Population
- Museum visitors and staff (1972-2013); maintenance volunteers
- Limitations
- The nomination documents significance and fabric description - the cork-insulation statement covers the between-hulls application only; it does not characterize pipe lagging, gaskets, or machinery insulation elsewhere aboard, and does not rule asbestos in or out. Does not establish exposure for any individual. Complement figure (85) conflicts with DANFS (66).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-02
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[3]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Ling (SS-297) - laid-down, AGSS/IXSS redesignations, strike, museum donation (secondary compilation; Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/08/08297.htm via Wayback - milestone block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS disposition (NavSource): laid down 2 November 1942 at Cramp Shipbuilding Corp., Philadelphia; commissioned 8 June 1945 at Boston Navy Yard; decommissioned 26 October 1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Naval Reserve training duty at Brooklyn, NY, from March 1960; reclassified AGSS-297 in 1962; reclassified Miscellaneous Unclassified Submarine (IXSS-297) and struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1971; placed on permanent display as a memorial at Hackensack, NJ, 28 June 1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Naval Reserve trainees (1960-1971); museum visitors (1972-2013)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record - used for post-DANFS disposition only. IXSS-297 redesignation dated 1 December 1971 in this framing; the class profile gives June 1971 - conflict in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-03
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[4]New York Times, 'A Submarine Is Stuck in the Muck in Hackensack' (12 June 2017); NJ Spotlight News (2021); Owensboro Times (Feb 2025) - museum closure, grounding, and litigation reporting [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NYT 2017-06-12; njspotlightnews.org video report; owensborotimes.com 2025-02; annapoliscreative.com
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum and litigation status (reputable press): the New Jersey Naval Museum (Submarine Memorial Association) operated Ling on land leased from North Jersey Media Group/MacroMedia for $1/year from 1972; gangway access was lost after Hurricane Sandy (2012) and the boat has been inaccessible to the public since ~2013; the museum dissolved 1 June 2016 and the site was sold for redevelopment. The Navy retains ownership (on loan). In August 2022 a civil judgment of $468,584 was awarded to John P. Thomsen against the Louisville Naval Museum after he was injured while volunteering aboard Ling in November 2020 - OTHER litigation, not asbestos-related. The boat remains grounded in the Hackensack River mud at the former museum site with relocation undecided.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1972-2025
- Population
- Museum volunteers (to 2020); site redevelopment workers (prospective)
- Limitations
- Press-reported status and a civil judgment described in press (not independently docket-verified - the judgment venue is not stated in located sources; likely Kentucky, where Louisville Naval Museum is based). The vandalism/flooding reports are press-level. None of this is asbestos-related; no ACM characterization of the hull exists in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-04
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[5]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; Balao-class diesel-electric machinery per NavSource specification block and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (class profile ev-balao-class-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1942-45 at Cramp Shipbuilding in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, and thermal/acoustic insulation around machinery and galley/refrigeration equipment. Balao-class boats had NO boilers or steam plant - the diesel-electric plant narrows the steam-era asbestos pathway materially. Documented yard windows: Cramp Shipbuilding construction (1942-45); Boston Navy Yard fit-out (per DANFS and the NRHP nomination); Brooklyn Naval Reserve training duty (1960-71). The NRHP nomination's cork-insulation statement is a ship-specific material datum for the between-hulls application; machinery lagging, gaskets, and packing remain undocumented for this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Construction and yard trades; crew
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos abatement record was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-05
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[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - covering the construction and most service years of every Balao-class hull in this batch (built 1942-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-06
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[7]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, loss-report, and ACM-survey/abatement sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger for this record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Ling (SS-297) was located anywhere in the research sweep.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Museum-hull and scrapper-side records, where they existed, were not retrievable in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ling-ss297-07