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Let’s break down the problem...

1)What value does the submarine have? Would some other museum want it or should it just be scrapped?

2) Assuming that no other museum wants it, how to scrap it? Would you a) scrap in place, b) break into transportable pieces, c) move it whole.

3) c) With bridges north & south of site inoperable, it cannot be moved via water. Could you lift it, put wheels under it and drag to scrappers yard? Probably too expensive

3) a or b) would have to put a temporary coffer dam to provide dry land around the sub and bring in equipment to break it down. If you had the saws to cut into segments and big crane to place pieces onto barge (option b) that’s probably how to barge it to a scrap yard. Otherwise you are breaking down to disposable, truck-haulible parts (option a) Probably it will be based on accessibility to scrap yard - better by water or by truck.

The Ling is silted in but that doesn't make it impossible to move should someone REALLY want to. The silt is a minor (but expensive to remedy) issue, the money to move her is the big problem and that assumes there is a site that could use a WW2 sub. The Mayor of Paterson said he wants it moved to the Great Falls area but that would be even harder. (Paterson is on the Passaic River not the Hackensack..)

As far as the bridges go, the Court St/Ft. Lee Road bridge was rebuilt not too long ago (the previous structure was decrepitizing before your eyes so to speak, and they had lowered the load limit down to 4 tons or something minuscule like that.) If whatever Fed agency that determines what waters are navigable lists that portion of the Hackensack River as a navigable waterway, the bridge rebuild would have to include an operable draw (actually this one is a swing bridge) so the bridge South of the Ling should be operable now.

There is little point in attempting to float the Ling farther upstream on the Hackensack river (it'll only get shallower) but again even though the NYSW railroad bridge immediately North of the Ling hasn't opened in decades if that portion of the Hackensack is classified as navigable, should something require passage, the NYSW must somehow open the bridge. I understand that should the bridge require opening there is a lead time to inform the railroad, but I have not specifically asked any of my rail road contacts if that particular bridge is operable or the status (I can tell you about the Overpeck Creek draw though - it's a bit further south ;-)

The way out of there is South to more open waters. Assuming the hull is still intact and she floats OK (it will never dive again because they cut through the pressure hull to put in a access stair when it was on active display) it could be towed out at high tide once free of the muck. Which puts it back to a money issue.

The major problem with dealing with the silt issue? Its right there in the article.. "Hugh Carola, program director at Hackensack Riverkeeper, an environmental group." He and his minions will breech-birth a cow should anyone start stirring up the mud..

For the lay of the land, here's a link to the GooGle Earf view. The bow of the Ling is facing downstream toward clear water...

USS Ling, Hackensack, NJ