Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster.
Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Ling (SS-297) (AGSS-297) (IXSS-297)

Radio Call Sign: November - Xray - November - Delta
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 2 November 1942, at Cramp Ship building Corp., Philadelphia, PA.; Launched, 15 August 1943; Commissioned USS Ling (SS-297), 8 June 1945, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.; Decommissioned 26 October 1946; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Assigned to Naval Reserve Training duty at Brooklyn, NY in March 1960; Reclassified Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-297) in 1962; Reclassified Miscellaneous Unclassified Submarine (IXSS-297), and struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1971; Final Disposition, placed on permanent display as a memorial at Hackensack, NJ, 28 June 1972. Ling received one battle star for World War II service.

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,424 t.; Length 311' 6"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2kts; Operating Depth Limit, 400 ft; Complement 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm gun, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks-Morse main generator diesel engines, 5,400hp, Fuel Capacity 116,000 gal., four Elliot Motor Co., main motors with 2,740 hp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
Click On Image
For Full Size		Size Image Description Source
Double672k

William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company facilities, 15 March 1943. Cruisers visible in this photo:

Far right - Miami (CL-89) - Furthest along; aft turrets and catapults in place.
Left of Miami is Astoria (CL-90) - she is about a month behind Miami.
Left of Astoria, in the large shipway, is Oklahoma City (CL-91) - a significant portion of hull has been built.
Left of Oklahoma City is Little Rock (CL-92) - Keel was just been laid on 6 March, which is visible under crane structure.


The coaling dock next to the cruisers site is known as grafitti pier" today.

Note that there are also 2 ATF's: Seneca (ATF-91) and Nauset (ATF-89) fitting out on the right side near the graving dock being built which was never used when finished in 1945. It was fully functional, and used in the 50's when Keystone Ship Repair leased the property. Fast forward to 2014 when the last piece of the shipyard was demolished. The 'L' shaped building, across Girard Avenue which was the foundry & Machine Shop was the end.

Note the 8 submarines in various stages of construction to the left of the Little Rock (4 per shipway). They are most likely from bottom right to left & bottom to top:
Dragonet (SS-293) bottom right, row 1,
Escolar (SS-294), bottom left row 2,
Devilfish (SS-292) top right, row 1,
Hackleback (SS-295) top left, row 2,
Lancetfish (SS-296) bottom left, row 3.
Ling (SS-297) bottom left, row 4,
Lionfish (SS-298) top left, row 3,
Manta (SS-299) top left, row 4.

The shipyard's submarine construction program was not especially successful. Poor management hindered the delivery of the boats. The first delivery was made two years after keel laying, and fitting out was then done by Portsmouth Navy Yard. The best construction time for a submarine was 644 days.

Cramp's submarine construction story was not a happy one for the Navy. Even though they got an early start on their Balaos, they had a lot of difficulty in hiring skilled workers and managers as most of the good ones already had jobs. Quality and timeliness suffered as a result. Cramp used the Government design plans, but used a completely different part numbering and inventory system, making coordination with Portsmouth, Boston, and Mare Island virtually impossible. The Government was forced to step in to straighten the mess out, with some of the boats ultimately being finished by other yards.

 Text courtesy of Tom Bateman, David Johnston (USN, retired) , Ron Reeves (of blessed memory), & Tracy White.
USN photo # 80-G-38403 via Tom Bateman courtesy of Tracy White @Researcher @ Large.
Double500kInverse of the above. USN photo # 80-G-38404 via Tom Bateman courtesy of Tracy White @ Researcher @ Large.
Ling 1.19k Ding a Ling (SS-297).
Mrs. E.J. Foy, sponsor of the boat, about to give her the ceremonial champagne kiss on the bow at Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 15 August 1943. 		USN photograph # 80-G-207949 now in the collections of the National Archives courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, via flickr.com.
Ling 735k Launching of Ling (SS-297) at Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 15 August 1943.
Note her hull # is 552. The numbers on their side are undoubtedly an internal construction number used by Cramp. Simon Lake also used in-house numbers on his O & R class boats while they were still in his yard.		Partial text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston
USN photograph # 80-G-207950 now in the collections of the National Archives courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, via flickr.com.
Ling 236k Operating orders for the Ling (SS-297) 19 April 1945 from Sec. of the Navy, James Forrestal. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Ling 1.43k Ling (SS-297) at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA., the day before her commissioning, 7 June 1945. National Archives Identifier: 38329795
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Ling 180k Four page PDF Commissioning program for the Ling (SS-297) on 8 June 1945, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.Photos courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory)
Ling 159k Ling (SS-297) is wearing a light camouflage paint scheme in this 6th July 1945 photo during sea trials. USN Archives photo # 19-N-85741, courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 81k Ling (SS-297) looking forward of the torpedo tubes in the forward torpedo room. The door is open on the top right tube while a "fish" is half way loaded into the top left tube. Photo and text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, Fleet Subs of WW II, by Thomas F. Walkowiak. Photo by Robert F. Sumrall.
Ling 71k The bow and stern planes control station of the Ling (SS-297). The large gauges on the panel are the depth gauges. The panel on the right is the "Christmas Tree" which tells which hull openings are shut or open. Photo and text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, Fleet Subs of WW II, by Thomas F. Walkowiak. Photo by Robert F. Sumrall.
Ling 58k Looking forward towards the galley of the Ling (SS-297) in the crew's mess, which is located in the after battery compartment. Twenty four men can be fed at a sitting. The food is served family style. Photo and text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, Fleet Subs of WW II, by Thomas F. Walkowiak. Photo by Robert F. Sumrall.
Ling 76k View of the after room engine of the Ling (SS-297). In the center is the starboard diesel engine. Photo and text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, Fleet Subs of WW II, by Thomas F. Walkowiak. Photo by Robert F. Sumrall.
Ling 805k WINS DJ Murray The K (Murray Kaufman) poses for a portrait on the training submarine Ling (SS-297) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 17 May 1962 in New York City, New York. Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images courtesy of gettyimages.com.
Ling 218k Ling (AGSS-297) as training vessel for Naval Reserve Submarine Divisions 3-23 & 3-55, moored at the NYNS [Brooklyn Navy Yard]. Photo courtesy of Steve Atkatz submarinesailor.com via Robert Hurst.
Ling 175k Ling (IXSS-297) on display at Hackensack, N.J. post 1972. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Ling 343k The Propulsion control cubicle of the Ling (SS-297) in the Maneuvering room, taken from the after torpedo room. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 400k Bow plane wheel, and hydraulic manifold with christmas tree (indicator panel for hull openings, vents, flood valves) of the Ling (SS-297), 2005. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 333k Taken from after corner of looking toward the helm...both periscopes can be seen. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 349k Another view from aft looking toward the helm of the Ling (SS-297), 2005. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 272k Broadside view of the Ling (SS-297) on display, 2005. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 365k Ling's (SS-297) topside 4" 50 gun on display, 2005. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 309k Ling's (SS-297) after battery berthing on display, 2009. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 316k Ling's (SS-297) after engine room on display, 2009. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Ling 918k A Submarine Is Stuck in the Muck in Hackensack: Ling (SS-297) berthed along the Hackensack River. Photo courtesy of Chang W. Lee/& Corey Kilgannon from The New York Times via Al Krause.
Ling 86k Oliver Hazard Perry’s famous battle flag echoing the words of Captain James Lawrence, shows our commitment to saving our beloved Ling (SS-297), 4 March 2020.
View the Ling (SS / AGSS / IXSS-297)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Historic Naval Ship Visitors Guide - USS Ling (SS-297)
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Submarine Index
Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster
This page is created by Gary Priolo, and maintained by Michael Mohl
All Pages © 1996 - 2024 NavSource History All rights reserved.