Information and Questions: When you’re ready, I’ll help you memorialize a life lived well.
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- Why is burial at sea a reasonable choice for me to make?
- Where will I visit my departed loved one if there is no grave yard or grave marker to go to and maintain?
- Is there a special kind of person who plans or wishes to be buried at sea?
- Doesn't the U.S. Navy perform burials at sea for deceased Navy personnel and any honorably discharged military personnel who wish to be buried at sea at no cost?
- I don't live in the New York metro area, how can I transport my loved-one to Amityville so you can perform a burial service at sea?
- I'm making this choice because; I believe burial at sea is what my loved-one wanted.
- I don't want a formal funeral or any religious service. Is that possible?
- How does a body 'become ready for sea burial'?
- I'm interested in the traditional sea burial method of wrapping the deceased in sail cloth. what does that involve?
- How is a body and the casket made ready for a traditional sea burial?
- Is it possible to have a priest, minister or rabbi conduct the ceremony?
- Is your service only for those who served in the military?
- Why aren't more funeral directors familiar with burial at sea?
- What's the difference between cremated remains and casketed sea burial?
- Is there any special consideration given to a military combat veteran who desires to be buried at sea?
- How 'authentic' is the military interment ceremony?
- Who runs Nature's Passage ?
- Does the cost for a conventional funeral cost more than a burial at sea?
- Where are burial at sea ceremonies conducted?
- Why are the costs for burial ceremonies at sea more expensive during the winter?
- What must I and my local funeral director do to make this ceremony happen?
- How soon after receiving deceased remains is the burial at sea conducted?
- How do I know if, when or where the burial at sea ceremony was accomplished?
- Can friends and family members accompany the Nature's Passage staff on an interment voyage?
- What kind of vessel services casketed burials at sea during the winter?
- Can you explain the details of the military burial ceremony Nature's Passage performs?
- I am Catholic. What does my church say about cremation, spreading ashes at sea and full-body burials at sea?
- Do you have a plan for atheists or agnostics?
- OK. How do I proceed from here?
Q: Why is burial at sea a reasonable choice for me to make?
A: Burial at sea is a natural and traditional method of dealing with death and disposition and has been for thousands of years. There is something very comforting knowing one's final resting place is within the ocean's embrace. That's why I named my company, Nature's Passage. It's easy for me to see the ocean as the ultimate memorial. Burial at sea is a reasonable choice only if you perceive it as rational and reasonable as I and thousands of others do. If you have doubts, even spiritual concerns about sea burials, I advise you to seek counseling from professionals that will help you find the peace of mind you deserve. We stand ready to serve, but only if you want us to inter your loved one at sea.
Q: Where will I visit my departed loved one if there is no grave yard or grave marker to go to and maintain?
A: I and many others think the ocean is the ultimate memorial. If you chose this method of interment, I believe you will come to think of the ocean as I do. No matter where you travel the Earth's oceans will be there for you to easily view or visit. But if you desire a physical memorial to place in a cemetery or on your property, mention this option to your funeral director and a memorial marker can be manufactured for you to place anywhere you desire.
Q: Is there a special kind of person who plans or wishes to be buried at sea?
A: We've found studies that suggest more and more people plan to be buried at sea. Why? No particular reason. We assume those who desire to be buried at sea made their living at sea, served at sea in the military or the Merchant Marines, or other uniformed services such as police. Perhaps many make this choice because they spent their happiest days on or near the ocean.
Q: Doesn't the U.S. Navy perform burials at sea for deceased Navy personnel and any honorably discharged military personnel who wish to be buried at sea at no cost?
A: Yes. Nature's Passage replicates the Navy's burial at sea ceremony. plus we provide ten additional services that are unique to our company.
- An exclusive burial ceremony at sea. Your loved one's ceremony is not 'one of many'.
- Ceremonies are scheduled and conducted promptly, often the same day we receive the casket or cremated remains. We don't warehouse caskets or containers of one's cremated remains for months.
- Interment in/on waters immediately adjacent to America 's shoreline. We don't perform your loved one's ceremony in foreign waters.
- Family members and friends can join the voyage and personally witness the burial at sea ceremony.
- A Nature's Passage burial at sea ceremony might not cost you a cent! You might gain money from benefits paid by the Veterans Administration. The Department of Veterans Affairs reimburses you for your veteran's burial expenses contingent upon your application and the VA's approval of your request for burial benefits . Considering the discounts Nature's Passage grants for veterans, payments received from the VA often exceed the burial costs charged by Nature's Passage.
- Provides documentary digital photos and or movies of the ceremony.
- Provides, at no cost, the commemorative American flag used during the ceremony.
- In addition to the commemorative flag and photos of the ceremony, we provide a digital photo of the chart marking the exact longitude and latitude indicating where the interment ceremony occurred, and finally, a copy of the vessel's log for that day, signed by the ship's captain.
- Nature's Passage does not disqualify an American service person's burial at sea if their military record reflects 'other than honorable' or a 'dishonorable' discharge. To those who have been disenfranchised because of their dubious service record, we hope and pray they may finally find peace in the ocean's embrace. This burial will not be conducted with military honors.
- With the concurrence and coordination of the ship's captain, family members may participate in the burial ceremony and or may specify ceremonial events unique to the deceased's religion, hobbies or life style.
- Sea voyage or airmobile-helicopter service.
- Full "Military" funeral honors.
Q: I don't live in the New York metro area, how can I transport my loved-one to Amityville so you can perform a burial service at sea?
A: Arrange with your funeral director for transportation of the deceased body and casket/container to a funeral home in the Amityville area. They will notify us upon arrival and we'll take it from there.
Q: I'm making this choice because; I believe burial at sea is what my loved-one wanted.
A: Good! That's the rational followed by most of the families we serve. Many families choose to bury their loved one at sea because they simply love the ocean and think burial at sea is the most serene method of making nature's final passage.
Q: I don't want a formal funeral or any religious service. Is that possible?
A: That's not unusual. Many families have their funeral director prepare the body for sea burial and by-pass religious services. We will coordinate with you to insure your special ceremony is conducted with the utmost taste and decorum and complies with your desires.
Q: How does a body 'become ready for sea burial'?
A: There are three options:
- The conventional full-casket buried at sea at depths exceeding 600 feet.
- The traditional sail-cloth wrapped body buried at sea at depths exceeding 600 feet.
- Spreading Cremated Remains on the ocean's surface at least 3 miles off shore.
Q: I'm interested in the traditional sea burial method of wrapping the deceased in sail cloth . What does that involve?
A: Wrapping the deceased in canvas sail-cloth is an interment process that mariners have practiced for thousands of years. It is a tradition that Nature's Passage is proud to continue. No one else in America performs this age-old method of sea burial . After the body is cleared for deposition by legal and health service authorities, the body is made ready for sea burial at the funeral home.. It is wrapped in cotton sail cloth of standard width and about 4.5 meters in length, weighted with several Egyptian cotton-cloth bags containing about 150 pounds of sand, hand-sewn closed and then placed in a container for transportation to sea. Prior to deposition to the ocean floor, the canvas sail-cloth wrapped body is removed from the container and readied for the burial ceremony. Upon release, the sail-clothed wrapped body quickly descends - feet first- to the bottom of the sea.
Q: How is a body and the casket made ready for a traditional sea burial?
A: The body is made ready for sea burial by the funeral home and then placed in a wooden casket-reinforced with wooden 'banding' around the cover to insure it will not open upon contact with the sea floor. To insure the casket descends quickly to the ocean floor, the casket is altered by drilling 20 holes [2 inches in diameter] at strategic locations of the casket so it will sink immediately. Additionally, we weight the casket with sufficient number of Egyptian cotton-cloth encased packets containing sand (approximately 150 pounds) to insure the casket will not 'wander away' but descend quickly -feet first- to the ocean floor. Incidentally, we coordinate with funeral directors to insure the type of casket material is porous wood or a bio-degradable composite.
Q: Is it possible to have a priest, minister or rabbi conduct the ceremony?
A: Yes. However, we can't control their decision to come aboard and go to sea with us. The ship's captain is authorized by Maritime Law to conduct this ceremony. We will coordinate with you and make every attempt to insure specific religious rights are flawlessly performed.
Q: Is your service only for those who served in the military?
A: NOT AT ALL! Anyone ---I say again, ANYONE-- who wishes to be buried at sea may use our services.
Q: Why aren't more funeral directors familiar with burial at sea?
A: Hard to say. It's understandable that funeral directors who aren't located close to the ocean might not consider this as an option. It is a mission of Nature's Passage to insure that geography shouldn't hinder anyone's wish to be buried at sea. No matter where you live, remains can be transported from your local funeral parlor to a networked funeral home in the Amityville area. Nature's Passage has an exclusive business relationship with Mr. Andrew Powell, owner of Powell Funeral Home, Inc. 67 Broadway, Amityville, NY 11701. Phone: 631-691-0172. You may call him and receive answers to any question regarding funeral/mortuary operations. Once your loved one is recieved we'll take it from there.
Q: What's the difference between cremated remains and casketed sea burial?
A: 1. Cremated remains is the product of cremation which results in a small-sized container filled with the deceased's remains. Remains or 'ashes' are spread on the sea's surface at least 3 miles off-shore. 2. A casketed 'full-body' sea burial takes place some 85 miles off the southern shore of Long Island, New York in the North Atlantic at depths exceeding 600 feet.
Q: Is there any special consideration given to a military combat veteran who desires to be buried at sea?
A: Yes!! This is a hallmark of our business ! We have the utmost respect for our departed veterans. Our ceremonies honor their lives and the sacrifices they made for our nation. Our memorial services are testimonials to those gallant men and women who served this nation with grace and dignity. It is our duty to produce and perform a formal memorial ceremony to honor their service.
We honor our departed servicemen and women by granting significant discounts:
- 25% discount granted to honorably discharged or retired veterans.
- 50% discount granted to wartime* veterans.
- *Wartime : WW ll, 1941-45; Korea , 1950-53; Vietnam , 1962-73; Iraq , 1991-1992; Iraq & Afghanistan , 2003 to present.
To qualify for the appropriate grant for military/wartime service, please include evidence of your veteran's service records ( DD Form 214) when you send us your signed contract and payment in-full. If you have any questions regarding service records, etc., call us at 1-800-407-8917 (Dedicated Fax: 1-800-409-2597) and we'll do the very best to find ways you can qualify for our grants.
Q: How 'authentic' is the military interment ceremony?
A: . We train our staff to the highest level of efficiency. The ship's Captain officiates all military interment ceremonies and insures all ship's personnel perform with military precision while paying strict attention to the traditions and protocol of U.S. Navy burial at sea ceremonies.
Q: Who runs Nature's Passage ?
A: Captain Lars Hedstrom is the owner and company president of Hedstrom Yachting Operations Inc. a multi-service marine operations corporation. Nature's Passage is a wholly owned division of HYO, Inc. Capt. Hedstrom is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of service, he served in combat with Army Special Forces was decorated for valor and was wounded in battle. He holds the United States Merchant Marine rank of Captain. He has been at sea for over 30 years and holds a masters license-- steam, power and sail from the United States Coast Guard. He is a tenured Full Professor at Suffolk Community College on Long Island .
Q: Does the cost for a conventional funeral cost more than a burial at sea?
A: A conventional funeral can cost anywhere from $5,000 on up. Recent studies indicate the average American funeral today costs about $15,000.
Q: Where are burial at sea ceremonies conducted?
A: Casketed or Wrapped Burials must be done at sea at depths not less than 600 feet. This ceremony takes place in the Atlantic Ocean some 85 miles off the southern shore of Long Island and the eastern shore of New Jersey .
Spreading Cremated Remains must be done at least 3 miles off shore. There are two locations for this ceremony:
- Designated areas on Long Island Sound
- Atlantic Ocean, 3 miles off the southern shore of Long Island .
Q: Why are the costs for burial ceremonies at sea more expensive during the winter?
A: Winter rates are higher than summer rates because going to sea in the winter. a journey of some 170 miles on the open ocean is always challenging and often very dangerous. Additional financial adjustments must be made to pay for a ship's charter, insurance, fuel and salaries for those crew members willing to go to sea when sailing the open ocean turns rough.
Q: What must I and my local funeral director do to make this ceremony happen?
A: No matter what choice of ceremonies you make, your funeral director will take care of everything. If you chose cremation, you will receive remains in a special container that is shipped to our office.
If you chose to have the deceased's body buried at sea, your funeral director prepares the body and ships the casket to a networked funeral home in the Amityville area. Upon notification, we will pick up the casket from the funeral home and perform the desired ceremony as soon as possible.
Q: How soon after receiving deceased remains is the burial at sea conducted?
A: Weather is always the biggest variable. Although we are master mariners and we'll normally put to sea under most weather conditions, however, if the sea is treacherous, we will wait for the weather and water to calm sufficiently so we can safely proceed. Regardless, we'll try to conduct the ceremony the same day we receive the remains of your loved one. If weather conditions force a major delay, we will notify you .
No one in the industry tries harder to perform burial ceremonies at sea on such a rigorous time schedule.
Q: How do I know if, when or where the burial at sea ceremony was accomplished?
A: Our Company's good-will thrives on your trust ! No one in this industry tries harder to document burials at sea more than we do ! Other companies make promises they do what you've contracted for and fain from providing any hard evidence. Nature's Passage provides media evidence, free of charge. If you chose not to accompany us to sea, we will provide digital photographs of the ceremony at no additional cost. We include photo shots of the navigational chart and the GPS coordinates indicating the exact location of the interment ceremony. Additionally, a photo-copy of the captain's log - signed and dated-- will be sent to you indicating the time and location of the ceremony, weather and sea conditions and the captain's description of significant events aboard the vessel during the journey.
Q: Can friends and family members accompany the Nature's Passage staff on an interment voyage?
A: Yes. But there are significant conditions to consider!
Spreading remains 3 miles at sea. For a reasonable charter fee, up to a total of six passengers may accompany the Nature's Passage staff to sea.
Casketed burials take place at ocean depths over 600 feet which means a round trip journey of 170 miles or so off Long Island 's southern shore. Depending on the vessel chartered by Nature's Passage to perform this mission and the weather, it is a trip of between 10 to 24 hours on the open ocean. For the land-lubber this is a daunting journey that often produces severe bouts of sea sickness. That said; it's your call. If you wish to pay the charter fee and can physically perform duties of a deck-hand, if seaborne situations demand, welcome aboard.
Q: What kind of vessel services casketed burials at sea during the winter?
A: Needless to say the North Atlantic particularly in the winter at distances of 80 or so miles from shore is too often a treacherous place to be. Only the most hearty and experienced sailor routinely takes a vessel into these waters. The ship we sail must be well provisioned and extremely sea-worthy. Nature's Passage charters or leases commercial ships that work the Atlantic from ports along the southern shore of Long Island .
Requirements for such a vessel are the following:
United States Coast Guard inspected and documented. High bow to chine ratio of at least 3 to 1. Enclosed and heated deck/wheel house. Minimum length: 45 feet. Beam: 18.5 feet. Width at stern: 16.5 feet. Steel or Fiberglass displacement hull. Below deck storage, dry and cold. Deck work-space mid-ships to stern must be clean, flat and uncluttered. Depth of skeg or keel: 6 feet - to stabilize the craft in rough swells. At least 3 working bilge pumps. Diesel engines producing at least 500 horse power. Minimum cruising speed of 10 knots. Redundant UHF radio, radar and charting gear. Satellite phone. Cold weather, safety and fire fighting clothing and equipment. Life raft(s) capable of carrying all ship's personnel. Accommodations to sleep at least 4 comfortably. A complete galley. Two heads, one with a shower. Certified annual USCG safety inspection.
Q: Can you explain the details of the military burial ceremony Nature's Passage performs?
A: This is the process that occurs during the appropriate religious service which is conducted by the ship's captain. All personnel taking part in the ceremony are in the United States Merchant Marine 'Uniform of the Day'. The casket is placed upon a platform-feet first, at the ship's stern, covered by the United States Ensign with the union placed at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag is secured to the inboard edge of the platform. The platform is raised to allow the casket to slide under the flag into the sea.
Cremated remains can be spread by a family member or the ship's Executive Officer upon the command of the Captain.
Q: I am Catholic. What does my church say about cremation, spreading ashes at sea and full-body burials at sea?
A:According to the Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Catholic Conference regarding Cremation and Burial at Sea - July 1999, while cremation and sea burial of a body is now permitted, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body. A body or cremated remains of the body maybe properly buried at sea in the urn, coffin, or other container in which they have been carried to the place of committal. When a body or the cremated remains of a body are buried at sea, the following Committal Prayer is used:
Lord God,
by the power of your Word
you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas,
you made the raging waters of the Flood subside,
and calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.
As we commit the body (earthly remains)
of our brother/sister [name] to the deep,
grant him/her peace and tranquility until that day when he/she
and all who believe in you will be raised to the glory of a new life promised in the waters of baptism.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Q: Do you have a plan for atheists or agnostics?
A: Yes. The mission of Nature’s Passage is to provide sea burials to everyone no matter their faith or lack of religiousness. We insist that Atheists receive a burial that is free of any trace of religiosity. We are sanctioned by the American Atheists, Inc. as a sea burial provider for America’s Atheists. Burial at sea is a logical option for Atheists who support environmental science and wish to take action at the end-of-life to benefit the human condition, human life and the ecological future of our planet.
Q: OK. How do I proceed from here?
A: If you are absolutely sure that you wish you use our service and have no unanswered questions you can use our online payment form to tailor a quote to your specific needs then initiate service. If you still have any questions or if you prefer to perform finanical dealings over the phone please call or fax toll free today at 1-800-407-8917 (Dedicated Fax: 1-800-409-2597) and we will do our best to meet your every need. Alternatively you may request more information here.
Need help now from someone who cares about accomodating any need you might have?
Please call toll free 1-888-551-1277
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me.
The Carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
~ Emily Dickinson
Nature's Passage Burial at Sea Service
Performing burials and 'military' memorial services at sea.
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Phone: 1-888-551-1277
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