Burials at sea

[Terry Smith]

Many thanks to all those who answered my request for information regarding burials at sea; and also many thanks for any information that is still forthcoming. The various comments have been very usefull.
Best regards to all.

Terry Smith

[Gulliver]

Tony,how terribly tragic and sad for all concerned,and especially for a first trip Cadet.
How awful for their seven year old son to see his mother die and be committed to the deep...


It's disturbing to know that even with a Doctor and trained First Aiders aboard ,that nothing could be done. Life can be so random.

I'm also disturbed by the burial at sea.I would have thought that that her body would have been kept refrigerated until Santos for burial/cremation,or repatriated home to her relatives in U.K. with her husband and young son accompanying her....

Very Sad.


Gulliver

[Jack Connor]

Your witty observation reminds me of reading once in the paper that an Member of Parliament once called a colleague a liar. He was asked by the speaker to apologise and he is supposed to have said; "I called the Honourable Member a liar. That is true and I am sorry for it. The Honourable gentleman can punctuate that as he sees fit"

[Captain Kong]

On an Esso VLCC , I wasnt there on that trip, but knew him, The Second Mate was sat on the bulwark on the wing of the bridge, The AB had gone to make coffee at 2am and when he returned the 2nd Mate had vanished. He was found on the boat deck 40 feet below and was definately dead.
His wife was contacted and she wanted him home to be buried there.
The ship had just left the Gulf bound for Singapore, It was also very hot.
He was left in his cabin on the bunk and wrapped up in several sheets, He swelled up like a balloon and the stench was spread throughout the accommodation. A friend told me that you could stick your finger into his flesh and it would leave a hole. He was landed at Columbo and then flown home.
I was told all about when I joined just after to replace him. I moved into a spare cabin.

[Captain Kong]

Quote from above.......................
On an Esso VLCC , I wasnt there on that trip,I was told all about when I joined just after to replace him. I moved into a spare cabin.

I did say..........
because I wasnt there until after he had gone.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Natural causes or suicide?

[happy daze john in oz]

Know of a number of funerals at sea during my time with UCL, both bloods and crew members. In those days there was no provision on board to store a body, so sadly over the side they went(Sea Burial). Now on modern cruise ships they have a morgue capable of holding four bodies.

[alf corbyn]

its a pity that heinrich?. wasn't the doctor at that time. alf

[Captain Kong]

I had joined the ESSO DALRIADA in the Gulf, On her way from the Gulf of Mexico the Bosun had fallen through a lightening hole in No 1 tank and had fallen about 85 feet to the bottom and was killed.
They were a couple of days from the island of St Helena bound round the Cape to the Gulf, so the family was contacted and he was taken ashore there and was buried on that beautiful island.

[Lou Barron]

it was not uncommon for deaths at sea on a troopship during the war i done a few trips in a troopship and i witness a few of them it was mostly the bosun and a ab who sewed the body up thar was after the ships doctor examined the body they would then but the body on the hatch board and being in convoy the commadore would be informed by the signal man with a aldis lamp then we would drop out to the rear of the convoy the body would be covered with the flag and after a short ceremony the body was slipped into the sea we would then rejoin the convoy in our original station the bosun and the ab would be given a good big tot of rum