“People sometimes consider being buried at sea as their final deployment,” said HM2 Cader Brown who is in charge of the U.S. Navy’s Burial at Sea office in Jacksonville, Florida. “It is also a way someone expresses how huge a part the military was in their life.”
Five U.S. Navy bases are points of embarkation for Burial at Sea, which means the final disposition of remains and the committal ceremony performed while the ship is deployed. Brown said a participating ship carries cremains for 20 people at a time. The cremains may be spread on the water or put into the water in a biodegradable container, according to the family’s wishes. San Diego and Norfolk hold Burial at Sea for both casketed and cremated remains. Other bases include Bremerton, Washington, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Most people think a burial at sea is something that happens only in the movies, but it’s an honored choice still widely used today. The Jacksonville office, for example, takes care of about 220 burials at sea per year.
A Burial at Sea
On board the ship, a chaplain, the commanding officer or an officer designated by him/her follows an ordered service that includes the ship being stopped if practicable. The word is passed through the ship: “All hands bury the dead.”
As the assemblage stands at Parade Rest, scripture and prayer are read. These are followed by Attention and the actual committal of the deceased to the sea. Three volleys are fired, Taps is played and the ship resumes its course and speed at the last note of Taps.
While anyone can have their remains buried at sea by private companies, burial at sea from a U.S. military vessel is limited to active-duty members of the uniformed services, retirees and veterans who were honorably discharged as well as dependent family members of active-duty personnel, retirees and veterans of the uniformed services.
The tradition of burial at sea is an ancient one out of necessity. People died for many reasons while ships were at sea for long journeys. In earlier times, the body was sewn into a weighted shroud, usually sailcloth, and sent over the side. Many burials at sea took place as recently as World War II when naval forces operated at sea for weeks and months at a time. Since World War II many service members, veterans, and family members have chosen to be buried at sea.
Family members are not allowed to attend a committal service for a loved one on board a military vessel. The commanding officer of the ship will, however, send the family a personal letter describing the exact date and time of the ceremony, the burial flag, pictures or videotape of the ceremony and a chart showing the longitude and latitude where the service was performed.
HM2 Brown was a Marine who lost several friends in Afghanistan. He said, “I can relate to families who have lost loved ones. I give each family very personal care.”
Complete information can be found online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/questions/burial.html.
