--- title: "Henry Lingg" description: "D-Day, Normandy and Beyond veteran Henry 'Hank' Lingg shares his memories of WW2." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/henry-lingg" date: "2026-08-03T01:26:26+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![Henry Joseph Lingg Jr.](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/2c/Henry-Joseph-Lingg-2c0d1e11.jpg?src=images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Henry-Joseph-Lingg.jpg&thumbnail=240,300,&hash=f9832b86) # WW2 veteran Henry Joseph Lingg Jr. - American - Master diver - US Navy - Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941 - Survived? Yes ![US NAVY](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/4c/US-navy-patch-4ca71b12.png?src=images/patches/US-navy-patch.png&thumbnail=300,300,&hash=a67ed152) #### US NAVY ## From the sea to space Henry 'Hank' Joseph Lingg Jr. the son of mother Frances Juliette Cole and father Henry Joseph Lingg, Sr. was born November 27, 1921 in Pullmann, Washington. Hank became a Navy Master diver from 1939 to 1961 including WW2 and the Korean war. He dove off the Bikini Atoll after they tested the Atomic Bomb. They were testing the waters to see what damage the bomb had done underwater. ### USS Nevada Hank was later assigned to the USS Nevada which was hit by a torpedo in the Pearl Harbor Attack. He was able to help patch the ship up while it sailed back to the mainland for repairs. Hank married Merel Myrtle Brown in June 23, 1961 ### Space Shuttle Challenger He retired from the Navy but continued working with his dive team and in 1986 they were involved in the salvage of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Hank who lived in in Corvallis (Or), passed away on January 13, 2000 at the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene. Story and pictures by Jean Lingg --- ### USS Nevada USS Nevada (BB-36), the third United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, was the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships. Launched in 1914, Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle. These features made Nevada, alongside her sister ship Oklahoma, the first US Navy "standard-type" battleships. #### The USS Nevada served in both World Wars During the last few months of World War I, Nevada was based in Bantry Bay, Ireland, to protect supply convoys that were sailing to and from Great Britain. In World War II, she was one of the battleships trapped when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Nevada was the only battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship "the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning" for the United States. Still, the ship was hit by one torpedo and at least six bombs while steaming away from Battleship Row, forcing the crew to beach the stricken ship on a coral ledge. The ship continued to flood and eventually slid off the ledge and sank to the harbor floor. Nevada was subsequently salvaged and modernized at Puget Sound Navy Yard, allowing her to serve as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and as a fire-support ship in five amphibious assaults (the invasions of Attu, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa). At the end of World War II, the Navy decided that, due to age, Nevada would not be retained as part of the active fleet and she was instead assigned as a target ship for the atomic experiments at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 (Operation Crossroads). The ship was hit by the blast from atomic bomb Able, and was left heavily damaged and radioactive. Unfit for further service, Nevada was decommissioned on 29 August 1946 and sunk for naval gunfire practice on 31 July 1948. [](#) [](#) ###### Veteran's personal file ![US Navy Master Diver](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/44/US-Navy-Master-Diver-44a9bd14.png?src=images/patches/US-Navy-Master-Diver.png&thumbnail=250,319,&hash=b19e8235) US Navy Master Diver Semper Fortis --- #### Veteran's death record - January 13, 2000 (aged 78) - Saint Mary Cemetery, Corvallis, Oregon The compilation and structure of this website are protected by copyright. The historical stories and personal accounts published here remain the sole intellectual property of the individuals who shared them. No content may be reproduced without prior permission from the webmaster. [ Add your story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact) --- Updated on: 30 December 2022 --- ###### Henry Lingg's personal photographs Click on a picture for enlargement --- [ ![US Navy](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/US-navy-patch.png)US Navy ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/US-navy-patch.png) [ ![US Navy Master Diver](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/US-Navy-Master-Diver.png)US Navy Master Diver ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/US-Navy-Master-Diver.png) [ ![Roster of the Nevada](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Henry-Joseph-Lingg-nevada.jpg)Roster of the Nevada ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Henry-Joseph-Lingg-nevada.jpg) [ ![Hank is standing on the right](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Henry-Joseph-Lingg-group.jpg)Hank is standing on the right ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Henry-Joseph-Lingg-group.jpg) [ ![Diving for the challenger wreckage](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Lingg-diving-challenger.jpg)Diving for the challenger wreckage ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/americans/henry_joseph_lingg/Lingg-diving-challenger.jpg) Henry Lingg's personal medals ![Victory Medal](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/a8/us-victory-medal-a8bd8130.png?src=images/medals/american/us-victory-medal.png&thumbnail=185,257,&hash=e031acc7)Victory Medal [](#) [](#) #### Cite this historical page I aim to provide accurate, open-access accurate historical records. 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Everards", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/how-it-started" }, "datePublished": "2022-12-27T09:43:48+01:00", "dateCreated": "2022-12-27T08:43:48+01:00", "dateModified": "2022-12-30T09:50:33+01:00" } ```