Reposted from NJ.com

Authorities on Tuesday said vandals flooded a World War II-era submarine moored at the New Jersey Naval Museum and stole four memorial plaques from the property.

Intruders intentionally opened hatches throughout the 312-foot U.S.S. Ling, causing the entire inside of the 2,500-ton craft to flood with water from the Hackensack River, according to city police Capt. Brian Corcoran.

The damage reported Tuesday came after officers responded to the Naval Museum in Hackensack a day before, police said. A caretaker found plaques valued at more than $10,000 that honored sailors and the 52 U.S. submarines lost during World War II were pried from a cement casing and stolen.

"The Hackensack Police Department Detective Bureau is investigating this disgraceful incident further, with hopes to locate and prosecute those responsible," Corcoran said in a statement.

The Ling was an exhibit off the Naval Museum located at the former River Street site of North Jersey Media Group, which published The Record newspaper before it was sold to Gannett.

Developers plan to demolish the former Record building to make way for luxury apartments at the 20-acre site, and museum staff were working to relocate. Navy officials collected artifacts from the museum, but the fate of the Ling has been unclear.

Though vandals didn't manage to sink the Ling, the submarine is mired in mud, heavily rusted and in a shallow area of the river, according to NorthJersey.com. The Ling is not included in any redevelopment plan for the property.

The Ling was forced to close after Hurricane Sandy damaged a connecting pier in 2012.

Berthed at the Hackensack site since the mid-1970s, the Balao class submarine never saw combat and was used for training.

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