Burial at sea

Browsing: Burial at sea

Sailor commits grandfather's ashes to the sea

By Jacqueline Klimas on November 12, 2012 Burial at sea

Though the entire family could not attend Navy veteran Jerome Seward’s burial-at-sea, at least one person got to be there. Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Christopher Sergent-Seward, a sailor aboard amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, participated in the ceremony for his grandfather on Nov. 9 in the Mediterranean Sea. “It made me feel really proud and honored,” Sergent-Seward said. “I was glad to be able to do this for him because he had always said he wanted to be buried at sea. My family is very happy that I was the one who committed his remains to the sea.” Families of…

A solemn duty

By Bill McMichael on October 23, 2011 Burial at sea, Carriers, Navy, Photos, Traditions

It takes place about 20 times each month: The casketed or cremated remains of an eligible individual are buried at sea. It’s an ancient tradition that’s probably been practiced as long as people have gone to sea, according to Naval History & Heritage Command. On Saturday, Oct. 22, crew members of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower carried on that tradition as the ship was training in the Atlantic. Ceremony procedures do not change. “All hands bury the dead” is passed over the ship’s intercom; the ship is stopped, if practicable; the colors are displayed at half-mast. The casket bearers, firing…

Browsing: Burial at sea