Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J. Tucker said sleeping in the beds in the USS Columbia submarine is like sleeping in a coffin. He's not exaggerating.

"If you're over 6 feet tall, you're not going to sleep good," said Tucker.

The 33-year-old is one of about 140 members of the submarine, which is named for Columbia as well as two other cities with the same name: Columbia, Mo., and Columbia, S.C.

Tucker was one of three members of the submarine's crew who came to Columbia last week to visit with members of one of their namesake communities. They visited schools, went to tourist sites and attended ceremonies with veterans and the community at Columbia American Legion Post No. 581.

"It gives us a chance to meet with their citizens and tell them how well their ship is doing," said Cmdr. Dennis Klein, 40,

Commissioned in 1995, the Columbia is one of the last of the Los Angeles class of fast-attack, nuclear subs.

Columbia Mayor Kevin Hutchinson said he arranged the visit to mark the 15th anniversary of the sub's commissioning.

The ship's name was the result of the work of former Chief of Naval Operation Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost, who grew up in Columbia. It was christened in 1994.

"I was up there for the christening, and I was up there for the commissioning," said Gene Haller, 82, a 60-year member of the Legion.

Trost couldn't justify naming the ship after just the Columbia in Illinois, so he added Columbia, Mo., and Columbia, S.C., Haller said.

What the three communities received was their names on a sub that's now deployed in the western Pacific. The sub's badge feature maps of the three states. (Columbia, Ill., is emblazoned with an eagle, the Columbia High School mascot.)

Deployments on the ship can last for up to six months.

"I personally have been underwater for up to 90 days," Klein said.

Klein signed up to serve in subs when he joined the Navy 19 years ago.

"You have to be able to excel in those environments," Klein said. "I've never had that claustrophobic moment. I've never had that trapped feeling."

Crew members sleep in a bed that's about three feet wide. They put their belongings in a space about five to six inches below that, Klein said.

"When you first report to a boat, you say, like, man, what is this?" said Chief Petty Officer Omar Blanding, 32, another crew member.

What makes it worthwhile is the people he meets, Blading said. "Guys are awesome. The biggest part is working with the guys."

Contact reporter Jim Merkel at 618-344-0264, ext. 138