Get Burial At Sea Request Form

How to get started: After the death of the individual for whom the request for Burial at Sea is being made, the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD) should contact the Navy and Marine Corps Mortuary Affairs office at 1-866-787-0081 to request a packet and for additional information.

The average cost of an unattended water burial at sea ranges from $200 to $500. This can be a much more affordable option than an attended water burial but still give peace of mind for many knowing that their loved one is memorialized in this way.

Putrefaction and scavenging creatures will dismember the corpse in a week or two and the bones will sink to the seabed. There they may be slowly buried by marine silt or broken down further over months or years, depending on the acidity of the water.

Initiating a burial at sea for a loved one After the death of the individual, the person authorized to direct disposition or the primary next of kin must contact the Navy and Marine Corps Mortuary Affairs Office at 866-787-0081 to request a packet (mailed or emailed) and to receive more information by phone and email.

A metal casket, as used by the United States Navy, should be considered. EPA recommends that: the casket should be banded with at least six durable stainless steel bands, chains or natural fiber ropes in order to ensure rapid and permanent sinking of the intact casket.

so it may be a good idea to ask around to see who can offer such a service. The average cost of an attended water burial at sea ranges from $500 to upwards of $2,000, depending on the time involved, size of boat and number of people attending.

The United States Navy offers a sea burial program free of charge for the following individuals: Members of the uniformed services, Retirees and veterans who were honorably discharged from any branch of the service. Dependent family members of active duty personnel, retirees, and uniformed services veterans.

How are bodies prepared for sea burials? Bodies buried at sea can be either cremated, in a traditional casket, or non-cremated and not in a casket (i.e., the body is just released straight into the ocean).