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{{for|the downloadable episode "Burial at Sea" for ''BioShock Infinite''|BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea}}
{{Short description|Method of burial}}
[[File:Sea burial.jpg|thumb|Burial at sea for two casualties of a Japanese submarine attack on the US aircraft carrier {{USS|Liscome Bay|CVE-56|6}}, November 1943]]
'''Burial at sea''' is the disposal of [[Cadaver|human remains]] in the ocean, normally from a ship, boat or aircraft. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries.

Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different locations and with many different customs, either by ship or by aircraft. Usually, either the [[Captain (nautical)|captain]] of the ship or aircraft or a religious representative (of the deceased's religion or the state religion) performs the ceremony.

The ceremony may include burial in a casket, burial sewn in sailcloth, burial in an urn, or scattering of the cremated remains from a ship. Burial at sea by aircraft is only done with cremated remains. Other types of burial at sea include the mixing of the ashes with concrete and dropping the concrete block to form an artificial [[reef]] such as the [[Atlantis Reef]].

Below is a list of religions that allow burial at sea, with some details of the burial.

==By religion==

===Christianity===
In Christianity, the practice is accepted. It has specific liturgies for burial at sea.

====Catholicism====
Officially, the [[Roman Catholic Church]] prefers normal [[coffin|casket]] burials over cremations, but does allow for burials at sea of whole or cremated remains. The Church defines burial at sea as sinking remains in a worthy container to the sea bottom and final resting place. Burial at sea in a [[coffin|casket]] or in an [[urn]] is acceptable and not prohibited, but viewed as not preferable and should not be commonplace.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rcbo.org/resource/guide-to-catholic-funerals/|title=Guide to Catholic Funerals|website=The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange|access-date=2020-08-31|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021071911/https://www.rcbo.org/resource/guide-to-catholic-funerals/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cremated remains are subject to the condition that the ashes are entombed in an mausoleum urn niche, columbarium, or buried on land or sea. Catholics believe it is not proper to scatter or pour the cremated remains over the sea, water, or on the land. According to the Roman Catholic Church this action does not give due respect to the remains of the deceased, nor does it allow for the closure, healing of family and friends, and prayers for the deceased. Likewise they see that the custom of housing the remains with family or friends and not placing the deceased in the ground does not offer loved ones a specific and sacred place to visit the deceased's remains. Visiting the deceased in a holy place provides believers with a space to offer prayers, commune with those who have gone before them in faith, and reminds them to await the resurrection of their own bodies. For burials at sea, the committal prayer number 406§4 is used in the funeral liturgy.<ref>[http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/DocumentContents/Index/2/SubIndex/40/DocumentIndex/313] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214165328/http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/DocumentContents/Index/2/SubIndex/40/DocumentIndex/313|date=2018-12-14}} Accessed December 11, 2017</ref>

====Eastern Orthodoxy====
At Orthodox funerals, there is normally an open [[Coffin|casket]] at the ceremony. At the grave site, there is a short prayer, after which attendants move to place flowers on the casket. A memorial service is typically held on the Sunday closest to the 40th day after death. Cremation is not approved, as bodies are sought to be preserved in burial as much as is feasible, for preparation of the general resurrection of the dead at the [[Second Advent]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newenglandburialsatsea.com/religions/|title=Religions &#124; New England Burials at Sea|website=www.newenglandburialsatsea.com|date=8 July 2014 }}</ref>

====Protestantism====
The [[Anglican Communion]] allows for burial at sea. Historically, the body has to be sewn in [[canvas]], and suitably weighted. Today, it is more common for the body to be placed in a body bag or if coming from ashore, a coffin.<ref name="ICS">{{cite book | title=Faith and Burial at Sea | publisher=[[International Chamber of Shipping]] | date=2022-05-01 | pages=11}}</ref> The [[ship]] is then stopped and a short religious ceremony is performed.<ref name="ICS"/> Typically, Protestant funeral rites usually include some form of [[Bible]] reading, prayers, a sermon and/or [[hymns]].<ref name="ICS"/> Exact practices vary by denomoniation.<ref name="ICS"/> However, some Protestants do not pray for the dead at all as they state that God has already received the deceased.<ref name="ICS"/> 

At the burial of the dead at sea, the same [[Canonical hours|office]] from [[the Book of Common Prayer]] as used for burial on land may be used; only instead of the words:<ref name="CoE">{{cite web |last1=The Church of England |title=Prayers to be used at Sea |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/prayers-be-used-sea |website=Worship texts and resources: Book of Common Prayer |access-date=2 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
{{quote|We therefore commit [his] body to the ground, earth to earth, ... in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the body}}
the form of words used is:
{{quote|We therefore commit [his] body to the deep, ... in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the body, when the Sea shall give up her dead ...}}
[[Anglican]], and other, [[chaplains]] of the [[Royal Navy]] also bury cremated remains of deceased naval personnel at sea. Scattering of cremated remains of those who have served in the Navy is allowed under the direction of the Chaplaincy services in three designated port areas and carries no charge.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://royal-naval-association.co.uk/help/faq/#:~:text=Q%3A%20A%20relative%20has%20died,in%20the%20three%20port%20areas. |title=Frequently Asked Questions: A relative has died, is it possible to have their ashes scattered at sea? |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=[[Royal Navy Association]] |access-date=18 June 2024}}</ref>

Many [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] naval veterans and seamen prefer to be buried at sea. In those cases either the casket or urn is set to sea, or ashes scattered. The procedure is similar as that with the Anglican church. Some parishes have specific consecrated sea areas that are designated by a [[bishop]] as a sea area where ashes can be sprinkled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/burial-of-a-portion-of-a-deceaseds-body-or-ashes-june-2019_0.pdf |title=GENERAL SYNOD. THE LEGAL ADVISORY COMMISSION. BURIAL OF A PORTION OF A DECEASED’S BODY OR ASHES |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 2019 |publisher=Church of England |access-date=18 June 2024}}</ref>

===Hinduism===
In traditional Hindu funerary practice bodies of water serve as the primary place of deposition for human remains, and their shores may also be the location for other parts of the funerary rituals, including the cremation. The deceased are traditionally cremated on a pyre accompanied by a variety of items, including flowers, herbs, oils and holy river water. The cremation serves as a final sacrifice of the body. The soul escapes the confines of the body when the heat of the fire makes the skull crack, and the body is then remade in the ancestral realm. After the fire has burned down, the ashes are collected, and immersed in a sacred river, ideally the [[Ganges]]. Death causes a ritual pollution among the attendants of the funeral, who wash themselves in the sacred river after the dispersion of the ashes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vyas |first=Maharshi |title=Death and religion in a changing world |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-367-64932-6 |editor-last=Garces-Foley |editor-first=Kathleen |edition=2nd |location=Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY |pages=18-19 |chapter=Contemporary Hindu Approaches to Death}}</ref>

===Islam===
The sacred texts of [[Islam]] prefer burial on land, "so deep that its smell does not come out and the beasts of prey do not dig it out". However, if a person dies at sea and it is not possible to bring the body back to land before decay, or if burial at land becomes impossible, burial at sea is allowed. A weight is tied to the feet of the body, and the body is lowered into the water. This would preferably occur in an area where the remains are not immediately eaten by scavengers.

In the [[Sunni]] [[Fiqh]] book ''[[Umdat al-Salik wa Uddat al-Nasik]]'', the condition for sea burial is:

{{quote|It is best to bury him (the deceased) in the cemetery&nbsp;... If someone dies on a ship and it is impossible to bury him on land, the body is placed (O: tightly lashed) between two planks (O: to obviate bloating) and thrown into the sea (O: so that it reaches shore, even if the inhabitants are non-Muslims, since a Muslim might find the body and bury it facing the direction of prayer (qibla)).<ref>Reliance of the Traveller, Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, p. 237, Translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amanah publications, {{ISBN|0-915957-72-8}}</ref>}}

===Judaism===
According to [[halacha|Jewish law]], dead people must be quickly buried, and [[Bereavement in Judaism#Burial|burial]] requires covering in earth.<ref>Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 362:1.</ref> This law is derived from Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:23 "Bury, you will bury him the same day; for the (unburied body) is a curse to God" the double command to bury causing a positive commandment to entomb in the earth and a negative commandment forbidding leaving an unburied body. The legal text ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' brings a case example explaining that even if a person is known to have drowned in a closed body of water such as a small pond where there can be certainty that the victim had not somehow survived, the family does not begin ritual mourning and remains in extended state of most intense mourning [[Bereavement in Judaism#Stages of mourning|aninut]] until either the body is found or after an exhaustive search despairs of recovering and burying the body.<ref>Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 375:7</ref> This shows that the body is considered unburied when underwater; as [[Shiva (Judaism)|shiva]] mourning normally only begins after burial. B'resheit (Genesis) 3:19 states "With the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, from (dust) you were taken and you are dust, and to dust you will return." From this it has been deduced by rabbis that the only proper treatment of a dead body is physically to cover it with earth once land is available for the crew to bury the body, rather than to leave the body at sea or some other fate such as [[cremation]].

If for some reason a deceased body aboard a ship would cause an immediate life threat to those aboard the vessel, the commandment to protect innocent life ([[pikuach nefesh]]) overrides nearly all other commandments, including the command to bury the dead. Any appropriate actions to ensure the safety of surviving crew are required to be taken, which may include jettisoning a body at sea without burial. However, attempts would later be made to recover and bury when possible without life hazard.<ref>Leviticus 18:5 "אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם"</ref>

An example of the desire to bury a body in the ground, even after it has been long dead at sea, is seen in the case of the Israeli submarine [[INS Dakar|''Dakar'']]. The submarine was lost with no survivors in 1968, and its location was not discovered until 1999, when it was found to be lying broken at a depth of 3,000 meters. Search and recovery of any potentially existing remains at this very difficult to access depth has not shown results, despite requests from family and the [[Military Rabbinate|Chief Rabbi]] of the [[Israel Defense Forces]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-10-18/news/1992292004_1_israeli-navy-submarine-dakar-israeli-government|title=Israel tries again to solve mystery of sub lost in '68|website=baltimoresun.com|date=18 October 1992 |access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/nasa-says-remains-of-all-7-astronauts-recovered-then-retracts-1.20315|title=NASA Says Remains of All 7 Astronauts Recovered, Then Retracts|first=Nathan|last=Guttman|date=2 February 2003|access-date=5 April 2018|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://submarines.dotan.net/dakar/search/index.htm|title=Search and Discovery of the Israeli Submarine Dakar|first=Uri Dotan|last=Bochner|website=submarines.dotan.net|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> In another case, when the skeletons of Holocaust victims were found in a river into which they had been dumped en masse, authorities claimed that many of these martyrs to the Jewish faith would hope to be brought ashore to rest in proper Jewish burials.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/in-hungary-a-jewish-community-fight-taints-effort-to-bury-holocaust-victims/|title=In Hungary, a Jewish community fight taints effort to bury Holocaust victims|first=Cnaan Liphshiz /|last=JTA|website=jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>

==By country==

===Australia===
Burial at sea within Australian [[territorial waters]], exclusive economic zone and continental shelf is covered by the ''Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981'' administered by the federal Department of the Environment. A permit is required for burial of bodies at sea. Permits are usually only granted in cases of a strong connection to the sea, such as long-serving navy personnel. The body must not be embalmed or placed in a casket; it may only be sewn into a shroud. The burial must be in water deeper than {{convert|2000|m|ft}} and not interfere with shipping, fishing or undersea communications. Australian Defence Force vessels engaged in armed conflicts or emergency situations are exempt from these requirements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/C2004A02478|title=Environmental Protection (Sea Dumping Act) 1981|publisher=Australian Government}}</ref>

No permit is required to scatter ashes at sea.

===United Kingdom===
British burials at sea of the 18th and 19th century involved wrapping the deceased in sailcloth weighted with cannonballs.

In [[England]], cremated remains may be scattered freely at sea but a burial must be made in a coffin meeting regulatory requirements and in one of three locations: off [[The Needles]], [[Isle of Wight]]; between [[Hastings]] and [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]]; and off [[Tynemouth]], [[North Tyneside]]. Permission may be sought for another burial site.<ref>{{cite web | title=Burial at sea |
url=https://www.gov.uk/burial-at-sea | access-date=30 August 2015}}</ref> Some funeral directors will arrange the event, such as Britannia Shipping for Burial At Sea.<ref>{{cite web | title=Britannia Shipping for Burial At Sea |
url=http://burialatsea.co.uk/ | access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref> Charity organisation the Maritime Volunteer Service also helps carry out burials at sea.<ref>{{cite news | title=Burial at sea: Seven things you might not know |
work=BBC News |
date=19 December 2016 |
url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38210497 | access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

In [[Scotland]], there are two designated sites for burial at sea. These are {{Convert|210|mi|km|abbr=}} due west of [[Oban]] and {{Convert|15|mi|km|abbr=}} west of [[John O'Groats]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Burials at Sea |url=http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Sea-Fisheries/management/restrictions/seaburials |publisher=Scottish Government |access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref>

===United States===
A funeral director is not required for the burial of cremated remains at sea. However, full body burials require specific preparation to ensure the body or coffin sinks quickly, and in many states a licensed funeral director is required.<ref name="NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com|title=New England Burials at Sea |website=www.newenglandburialsatsea.com|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> The Environmental Protection Agency regulations for full body burials at sea in the United States require that the site of interment be {{convert|3|nmi|km mi}} from land and at a depth of at least {{convert|600|ft|m}}.  In certain areas, specifically east central Florida, the Dry Tortugas, Florida and west of Pensacola, Florida to the Mississippi River Delta, such at sea burials are only authorized in ocean waters at least 1,800 feet (549 m) deep.  In California, a whole body must be buried at least three miles off the coast. Off the eastern coast of the United States, the closest sufficient depths are off Long Island ({{convert|75|mi|km|disp=x|/}}), Ocracoke ({{convert|20|mi|km|disp=x|/}}), and Miami ({{convert|5|mi|km|disp=x|/}}). This may require travel in excess of {{convert|30|mi|km}} for a suitable site.<ref name=cfr40>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-epa-region-4-southeast|title=About EPA Region 4 (Southeast)|first=OA|last=US EPA|date=January 29, 2013|website=US EPA}}</ref>

Departing from the New England area requires a voyage of about {{Convert|45|mi|km|abbr=}} to reach the required 600&nbsp;ft ocean depth.<ref name="NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com"/> Sufficient depth is within {{Convert|10|mi|km|abbr=}} or less at many harbors along the U.S. west coast, including San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Fort Bragg, Eureka, and Crescent City, all in California.<ref>Google Earth bathymetry</ref> The [[United States Navy]] inters intact remains from Norfolk and San Diego only.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/navy_legacy_hr.asp?id=204|title=United States Navy Mortuary Affairs Burial at Sea Program|publisher=United States Navy|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405214826/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=204 |archive-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> The United States Navy requires a metal casket for intact remains, but full body burial in a suitably weighted shroud is also legal.<ref name="NewEnglandBurialsAtSea.com"/>

The United States is similar to many countries which permit the spreading of cremation ashes within their Exclusive Economic zone. When spreading ashes from a ship which is registered in a different country, the regulations and reporting procedures for the ship's flag state need to be complied with once the vessel is in international waters, that is, outside {{Convert|12|nmi|km|abbr=}}. Ships follow the [[London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter|London Convention]] principles, as opposed to MARPOL regulations, as the ash is intentionally taken on board for discharge at sea, as opposed to ash generated on passage from the ship's incinerators. It should be further considered that on 1 January 2013, MARPOL Annex V came into force, which prevents discharge of a ship's incinerator ash.

====United States Navy====
{{See also|United States Navy Chaplain Corps}}
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2013}}
[[File:Neil Armstrong burial at sea (201209140008HQ).jpg|thumb|right|The burial at sea of U.S. astronaut [[Neil Armstrong]], performed by the U.S. Navy on {{USS|Philippine Sea|CG-58|6}} in the Atlantic Ocean on September 14, 2012]]The [[United States Navy]] has performed many burials at sea in its history, with wartime burials as recently as [[World War II]], and peacetime burials still common. Enemy deaths received the same ceremony as Americans or allies. Most other armed forces also perform burials at sea, such as the [[Royal Navy|British Royal Navy]] and the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]. <ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-12-19 |title=Burial at sea: Seven things you might not know |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-38210497 |access-date=2024-09-13 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

If the deceased died on land or has been returned to shore after death, the remains may be brought aboard either in a [[coffin]] or in an urn after cremation. The ceremony is performed while the ship is deployed, and consequently civilians are not allowed to be present. In the US, people eligible for a Navy burial at sea are:
* Active-duty members of the uniformed services
* Retirees and honorably discharged veterans
* [[Military Sealift Command]] US civilian marine personnel
* Dependents of active duty members, retirees, and veterans.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Absher |first=Jim |date=2021-10-25 |title=Burial at Sea: A Time-Honored Tradition |url=https://www.military.com/benefits/burial-and-memorial/burial-at-sea-a-time-honored-tradition.html |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=Military.com |language=en}}</ref>

In preparation, the [[officer of the deck]] calls ''All hands bury the dead'', and the ship is stopped (if possible). The ship's flags are lowered to [[half mast]]. The ship's crew, including a firing party, casket bearers and a [[Bugle (instrument)|bugler]], are assembled on the deck. The crew stands at [[parade rest]] at the beginning of the ceremony. The coffin is covered with a [[American flag|flag]], and is carried feet first on deck by the casket bearers. The casket is placed on a stand, with the feet overboard. In case of cremated remains, the urn is brought on deck and placed on a stand.

The ceremony is divided into a [[military rites|military portion]] and a religious portion. The religious part is specific to the religion of the deceased, and may be performed by a [[United States Navy Chaplain Corps|Navy chaplain]], or by the [[commanding officer]] if no chaplain of the appropriate faith is available. A scripture is read and prayers are said.

After the religious ceremony, the firing party is ordered "Firing party, [[present arms (command)|present arms]]". The casket bearers tilt the platform with the casket, so that the casket slides off the platform into the ocean. The flag which was draped over the casket is retained on board. For cremated remains, there is the option to bury the remains using the urn in a similar fashion to the procedure used for caskets. Alternatively, the urn can be opened, and the remains scattered in the wind. In this case, the wind direction has to be taken under consideration before burial to ensure a smooth procedure.

The firing party fires a [[3-volley salute|three volley salute]], the bugler plays "[[Taps (bugle call)|Taps]]", and flowers may also be dropped into the ocean. After the flag is folded, the ceremony ends. The relatives are informed of the time and location of the burial, and given photos and video recordings if available.

==Wartime burial at sea==
[[File:Burial at sea Feb2004.jpg|thumb|Burial at sea on the {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}}, May 19, 2004]]
[[File:US Navy 030501-N-6141B-022 Officers ^ sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75).jpg|thumb|Cremated remains at sea on {{USS|Donald Cook|DDG-75|6}}, May 1, 2003]]

In wartime, attempts are made for burial at sea to follow the same procedure as for peacetime burial at sea, although a ship on a combat mission may not have all the necessary resources available. Nowadays, it is usually possible to airlift the remains back to shore, and prepare a burial ceremony on land. However, as recently as the [[Falklands War]], deceased were buried at sea without returning to land. Due to the limited facilities of military ships, this procedure usually does not include a casket, but the body is sewn into a sailcloth with weights, usually rocks or cannonballs. Cremation is usually not possible on a ship. During the Pacific campaign there was at least one instance where a member of an aircrew was buried at sea in his damaged aircraft, which was ceremonially pushed overboard from an [[aircraft carrier]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loyceedeen.org/|title=loyceedeen|website=www.loyceedeen.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675070253_TBF-Avenger-aircraft_USS-Essex_sea-burial_dead-gunner|title=U.S. Navy TBF Avenger gunner from USS Essex is buried at sea with his aircraft during World War II|date=5 November 1944|publisher=Criticalpast}}</ref>

==Memorial services at sea==
If no remains of the deceased are available a memorial service may be held, and flowers may be dropped in the water, often over or near the location of the death.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==People buried at sea==
<!-- Please keep in order by death year. -->
{{Main|List of people buried at sea}}
A few notable burials at sea:
* [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] (1540–1596), body in lead coffin off the coast of [[Portobelo, Panama]]
* [[Christopher Newport]] (1561–1617), body buried in the Indian Ocean
* [[Edward Winslow]] (1595–1655), buried at sea near [[Jamaica]] on 8 May 1655
* [[Mariano Moreno]] (1778–1811), one of the leaders of the Argentine [[May Revolution]]; died on a [[schooner]] taking him to exile in Europe; his coffin was wrapped in a [[Union Jack]].
* [[Friedrich Engels]] (1820–1895), cremated ashes were scattered off [[Beachy Head]], near [[Eastbourne]] [[England]]. 
* Numerous {{RMS|Titanic}} victims (1912), picked up by rescue ships, whose remains were too damaged to preserve or for whom the rescuers lacked sufficient embalming materials, were buried at sea. The ashes of Titanic's fourth officer, [[Joseph Boxhall]], were scattered at sea following his death, aged 83, in 1967, at 41°46N 50°14W, the position he had calculated for the ship on the night of the sinking.
* [[Surya Sen]] (1894–1934), was given a burial at sea in the Bay of Bengal
* [[Dudley Pound]] (1877–1943), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Atholl MacGregor]] (1883–1945), Hong Kong's chief justice, died on hospital ship from Hong Kong for England
* [[H. G. Wells]] (1866–1946), cremated and ashes scattered in the sea off England
* [[Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma]] (1901–1960), was buried at sea from [[HMS Wakeful (1943)|HMS ''Wakeful'']] off the coast of [[Portsmouth]].
* [[Adolf Eichmann]] (1906–1962), following his execution in [[Israel]], his body was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea over the [[Mediterranean]], in international waters. This was done because Israel did not want such a person buried in its soil, and also did not want a grave elsewhere that might have become a place of pilgrimage for other Nazis.
* [[Jenny Cheok Cheng Kid]] (1941–1963), [[Singaporean]] murder victim who had gone missing at sea on 27 August 1963 during a scuba diving trip near [[Sisters' Islands]], [[Singapore]]. She was later found to be murdered by her boyfriend [[Sunny Ang]] for her insurance, which amounted to $450,000. Despite the lack of a body and circumstantial evidence, Ang was convicted of murder and [[Capital punishment in Singapore|sentenced to death]] in one of Singapore's sensational trials, and later executed in 1967. Her body has never been found and is presumed buried at sea.
* [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope]] (1883–1963), prominent admiral of the [[Royal Navy]] during World War II. Buried at sea near [[Portsmouth]].
* [[Janis Joplin]] (1943–1970), cremated at [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]], and ashes scattered into the [[Pacific Ocean]]
* [[Maria Callas]] (1923–1977), cremated at the [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in [[Paris]]; ashes were interred there, stolen, recovered and finally scattered, according to her wish, into the [[Aegean Sea]] in [[Greece]] on June 3, 1979<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDWC3wVbQjk&ab_channel=SCHAL ΤΠΚ ΤΡΟΥΠΑΚΗΣ - Η ΣΤΑΧΤΗ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΛΛΑΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΑΡΩΝΙΚΟ] (accessed March 27, 2021)</ref>
* [[Richard Rodgers]] (1902–1979), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Alfred Hitchcock|Sir Alfred Hitchcock]] (1899–1980), ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean
* [[Steve McQueen]] (1930–1980), cremated and ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean
* [[Dennis Wilson]] (1944–1983), body buried in the Pacific Ocean off California with special intervention by President Reagan
* [[Peter Lawford]] (1923–1984), actor, cremated and ashes originally buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery; they were later removed and scattered in the Pacific Ocean
* [[Rock Hudson]] (1925–1985), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Robert A. Heinlein]] (1907–1988), cremated, and ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/biographies.html|title=Heinlein Society|website=www.heinleinsociety.org|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-date=16 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016104351/http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/biographies.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[John Carradine]] (1906–1988), full body burial into the Pacific Ocean near [[Santa Catalina Island (California)]] by his family
* [[Stan Getz]] (1927–1991), cremated, and ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean off [[Malibu, California]]
* [[Vincent Price]] (1911–1993), ashes scattered off [[Point Dume]] in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]], [[California]]
* [[Gene Kelly]] (1912–1996), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Robert Mitchum]] (1917–1997), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Deng Xiaoping]] (1904-1997), second [[paramount leader]] of [[China]], cremated and ashes scattered.
* [[John F. Kennedy Jr]] (1960–1999), scattered into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] off Martha's Vineyard
* [[DeForest Kelley]] (1920–1999), ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean
* [[Doug Henning]] (1947–2000), cremated, and ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean of [[Redondo Beach, California]]
* [[Werner Klemperer]] (1920–2000), cremated ashes scattered
* [[Edmund Hillary|Sir Edmund Hillary]] (1919–2008), cremated, and ashes scattered in [[New Zealand]]'s [[Hauraki Gulf]]<ref name="NZ_Herald_10495373">{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10495373 |title=Sir Edmund Hillary takes final voyage, ashes scattered at sea |date=29 February 2008 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=22 September 2011}}</ref>
* [[Leyla Gencer]] (1928–2008), ashes scattered into the [[Bosphorus]]
* [[Tan Chor Jin]] (1966–2009), a convicted murderer who was executed for fatally shooting a nightclub owner.
* [[Osama bin Laden]] (1957–2011);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/osama-bin-ladens-body-buried-at-sea/|title=Osama bin Laden's body buried at sea|website=[[CBS News]] |date=2 May 2011}}</ref> one U.S. official stated that "finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_burial|title=Yahoo report|website=yahoo.com|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> It was also done to prevent his burial place from becoming a "terrorist shrine".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-body-headed-for-burial-at-sea-officials-say.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110502113045/http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-body-headed-for-burial-at-sea-officials-say.html|url-status=dead|title=Osama Bin Laden Body Headed for Burial at Sea, Officials Say|archive-date=May 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Dick Clark]] (1929–2012), cremated and ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean
* [[Neil Armstrong]] (1930–2012), cremated, ashes scattered into the Atlantic Ocean from the U.S. Navy cruiser [[USS Philippine Sea (CG-58)|''Philippine Sea'']]<ref>{{cite news|title=Neil Armstrong's remains committed to the sea|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/14/us/neil-armstrong-remains/index.html|access-date=15 September 2012|newspaper=CNN|date=14 September 2012}}</ref>
* [[Robin Williams]] (1951–2014), cremated the day after his death, ashes scattered in [[San Francisco Bay]]
* [[Zhang Huaxiang]] (1987–2016), a Chinese nurse who was murdered in Singapore. Her body was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea. Her killer, [[Boh Soon Ho]], was found guilty of murder and sentenced to [[Life imprisonment in Singapore|life imprisonment]].
* [[Liu Xiaobo]] (1955–2017), 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, ashes scattered into the ocean off north-eastern China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/15/liu-xiaobo-cremated-in-shenyang-amid-growing-fears-for-safety-of-his-wife|title=Liu Xiaobo: dissident's friends angry after hastily arranged sea burial|first=Tom|last=Phillips|date=15 July 2017|website=The Guardian|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref>
* [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]] (1971–2019), Caliph of the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]. Remains were buried at sea after Abu Bakr detonated a suicide vest during a raid by US forces; as with bin Laden, the sea burial was carried out according to Islamic rites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/baghdadis-body-disposed-of-at-sea-by-us-military-pentagon-source-1.1572293063845|title=Baghdadi's body disposed of at sea by US military: Pentagon source|work=[[Gulf News]]|date=28 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-body-burial-idUSKBN1X7215|title=Baghdadi given burial at sea, afforded religious rites: U.S. officials|date=28 October 2019|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Baghdadi-given-burial-at-sea-afforded-religious-rites-606122|title=Al-Baghdadi given burial at sea, afforded religious rites|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/prisoners-al-baghdadi-raid-191028173251806.html|title=US says it took two prisoners during al-Baghdadi raid|work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref>
* [[Jiang Zemin]] (1926–2022), former [[President of China]] and [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|general secretary]] of the [[Chinese Communist Party]], cremated and ashes were scattered into [[Yangtze River]] Estuary.

==See also==
* [[Illegal disposal of bodies in the water]]
* [[Military funeral]]
* [[Natural burial]]
* [[Viking funeral]]
* [[Reef burials]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sea burials}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burial At Sea}}
[[Category:Ceremonies]]
[[Category:Funerals|Sea]]
[[Category:Naval ceremonies]]
[[Category:Funeral transport]]
[[Category:Burials at sea| ]]
[[Category:Water transport]]