Family members and veterans participate in a burial at sea ceremony on HMCS Sackville during which the ashes of 21 members of Canada’s military placed in the waters outside Halifax harbour on Sunday, May 5, 2013 during a ceremony marking the Battle of the Atlantic. (Devaan Ingraham, Canadian Press)
Have you or a family member considered having your/their ashes buried at sea? This service is available for current and former Canadian military veterans, former members of the Coast Guard and Canadian Merchant Marines, as well as their spouses, regardless of when they served.
It is the responsibility of the next of kin to forward the urn to the Command Chaplain, with the following 3 required items.
- Full Contact information for the next of kin
- Cremation Certificate for the deceased
- Short Biography of the deceased, including last rank, details of their career, and a copy of their obituary.
There is no cost to the family for the committal of the cremated remains at sea.
It is the families’ responsibility to purchase and provide a biodegradable urn and cover the cost to have the cremated remains delivered to:
Formation Chaplain
Marine Forces Atlantic
P.O. Box 99000
Station Forces
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 5X5
There are two options for the committal of cremated remains at sea.
The first option is that the family may be on board the deployment of the HMCS Sackville on the first Sunday in May when the ship goes into the Halifax Harbor to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. During this guided deployment the cremated remains will be committed to sea in the Halifax Harbor.
The second and more common option is for the Formation Chaplain to take several sets of cremated remains on the next deployment of a naval ship. During the ships maneuvers that chaplain will commit the ashes to the sea. The next of kin will be notified what ship will spread the ashes prior to departure and the family will receive the exact position and date of the burial of ashes at sea.
If this interests you as a way to honor the veterans in your family, or you would like to know more about this you can call the Base Padre Office and speak with the Formation Chaplain Administrative Assistant at 902-721-8660.
I’d love your feedback. Please leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one, via the commentluv feature here on the site.
Until next time,
Kat
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