USS Columbia crew docks at namesake city

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Hundreds of feet below the surface of the sea, a poster of the University of Missouri Golden Girls soon will hang near the black-and-gold themed "Flat Branch" galley aboard a nuclear-powered submarine.

When they have time to rest, crews on the USS Columbia might be catching up on the 2014 Cotton Bowl or other recent MU football games. Last year's six-month tour included months of the college football season.

A box of Columbia-inspired items was given this month to representatives from the USS Columbia, who spent several days visiting their namesake town. Cmdr. J. Patrick Friedman and Lt. Jason Ulbrich met with members of the community, including Mayor Bob McDavid, at Shiloh Bar and Grill. They also enjoyed breakfast at a local VFW and a tour of the Columbia Fire Department's headquarters.

Ulbrich said the Columbia firemen offered him a ride in a firetruck's bucket. He agreed, strapped on a harness and put on a helmet. High up in the air, Ulbrich said a firefighter pointed out some of the landmarks around town.

Almost every year, members of the U.S. submarine visit Columbia, one of three cities that inspired the vessel's name. The ship also is named after Columbia, Illinois, and Columbia, South Carolina. The ship was sponsored by Hillary Clinton and was commissioned in October 1995. About 140 people staff the ship on tours.

Ulbrich said the gifts are welcome to the crews aboard the USS Columbia because they spend months below sea without Internet and little connection to the outside world. Among other things, the crew spent much of last year watching "Game of Thrones." So far, Ulbrich is about midway through the fourth season.

"No spoilers," he said.

Columbia resident John Belaka stopped by the meet-and-greet at Shiloh's after hearing about the event on the radio. Belaka brought along a scrapbook of photos from his tours on a submarine; he said he served as an auxiliary electrician during the Vietnam War on the USS Razorback.

Belaka said the submarine was diesel-powered and had a crew of about 80 people. Under Capt. Boocher, Belaka said he ran coffee to various rooms and alerted the captain every four hours that everything was on course. He said the sub typically ran 30-day missions.

Belaka pointed to a photo of himself poking his head out of the submarine.

"That's when I had hair," he said, laughing.

The USS Columbia is docked in Pearl Harbor. Friedman said the ship is near the decommissioned USS Missouri, the site of his change of command in October 2012.

Over the next few weeks, he said the crew will make sure the ship is fit for deployment.

Both Friedman and Ulbrich said they would not be joining the next USS Columbia tour. Friedman said he's planning to become the deputy commander at Submarine Squadron 1, based out of Pearl Harbor.

Friedman said the next change of command for the USS Columbia is planned to take place at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park in Pearl Harbor. He said the USS Missouri and USS Arizona will be in sight when the change of command takes place.