Frances Baskerville
Burial at Sea – What happens?
As Secretary-General of CIRM, the International Trade Association for Maritime Electronics, I spend all of my working time thinking about technical matters, the organisation of the company, how to give the best service to our members and making sure that we are on top of the ever-growing mountain of regulatory matters relating to our members interests. Our Board of Directors are on top of all the areas of work that we are looking at from a technical and strategic point of view and the Secretariat can only be described as very busy each week. There is little spare or down time, other than over Christmas when, thank goodness, we are guaranteed a good break. Oh, and August is not too bad too although we noticed that people were still sending emails and asking questions – didn’t happen the previous year!
Work gives us many things, not least the satisfaction of obtaining a good result, and the money but we all need to do other things with our lives too. One of the other things that I do, to create a balance and to give me a chance to tap into my creative skills, is conduct non-religious ceremonies such as weddings, funerals and namings. Honestly, I have done many, many more funerals than weddings – and it’s very tough when I am asked to conduct a funeral for a friend or colleague. Somehow, all celebrants end up ‘doing friends’ because, very often they can do it better than someone who never met the person in question.
I make a point of not doing very many ceremonies throughout the year, not least because I’m fully employed at CIRM but also because the quality of my work must be top notch, and that can only happen with lots of thought and plenty of preparation. It’s great that CIRM give me thirty days holiday a year, so the odd one here and there seems to work ok.
One type of ceremony that I have never undertaken but I am questioned by colleagues quite often about is “can you tell me how I can be buried at sea?”
So here are a few facts – in case you want to organise yourself in advance – which is the kindest thing to do to your family!.
Anyone can have a burial at sea.
Burial at sea is an option available to everyone; you can have served at sea, been a private boat owner or in any job at all. In England there are three designated areas currently permitted for burial at sea – they are Newhaven in East Sussex, then The Needles Spoil Ground at the Isle of Wight, and Tynemouth in Northumberland. I gather you can propose a new site but I imagine the process would be very long winded and complicated. I haven’t researched other countries but there must be many, many registered sites worldwide.
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In the UK, there is very tight regulation on how burials are conducted and all require a license from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). A license will cost just under £200, and in order to issue one they require a death certificate, a certificate of ‘Freedom from Fever and Infection’ (available from the deceased person’s GP or hospital doctor) and a ‘Notice of intention to remove a body out of England’ (available from the Coroner). The license lasts for three months after the issue date.
There are many considerations about a coffin and the appropriate ‘apparel’ for a body like a cotton sheet or biodegradable body bag. No embalming is allowed for environmental reasons and the solid softwood coffin built must have holes drilled in it, be evenly weighted with at least 200kg of iron, steel or concrete and whatever material is chosen must be clamped to the base. No plastic, zinc, copper or lead is permitted to be used. As well as this, there is a requirement for a durable tag to be attached to the body that identifies the Funeral Director concerned; and I suppose that it’s useful to know that there is an outside chance that the body and coffin may be inspected just before setting out. All marine sites are sensitive – think about activities that happen day in and day out… obviously all shipping and yachting traffic, heritage sites, deposit and removal of markers etc, dredging (not a great thought), construction, scuttling, explosives, the list is very long.
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An easier option …
Scattering cremated remains is a much easier operation! There aren’t any legal obstacles to overcome as long as the water stretch chosen is not privately owned. With no license needed, the remains must be carried onto the water in a waterproof urn and scattered when everyone is ready (returning the urn to dry land).
Having been around all kinds of ceremonies for several years now, I have to say you do get kind of used to thinking about what happens at the end of life. It’s not such a bad thing actually. Now that I’ve seen most kinds of circumstances I don’t feel nearly as bothered by death – it’s natural and perhaps more people could know about the processes, which does undoubtedly help, even taking fear away perhaps.
Some of us manage to leave without any pain and with dignity, and others not; but being able to get through the funeral in a positive way, in celebrating a life whichever way it’s done, it’s always better if you know what you want and do a bit of forward planning. FB
“The sea is the largest cemetery, and its slumbers sleep without a monument. All other graveyards show symbols of distinction between great and small, rich and poor: but in the ocean cemetery, the king, the clown, the prince and the peasant are alike, undistinguishable.” George Bruce, 1884, St Andrews
Photos by Frances Baskerville; Image of the Needles, Isle of Wight from FreeImages.com
