I was recently reading a novel about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and following a battle, all of those who died were buried at sea. I realize such a practice is unnecessary these days given that ships aren't away from their home country for years at a time, and even if they were, the bodies could be stored until they got home or sent home on another ship. However, and purely for curiosity's sake, does anyone know if the Church had any teaching on the subject of burial at sea?

I have no idea whether there has been any formal instruction in the matter of burial at sea, but the fact that naval burial services have been conducted since the Church's earliest days and have been presided over by both civilian priests and commissioned chaplains surely vouches for the licitness of the practice.

From my preconciliar youth, I recall at least one schoolmate's father, a retired naval officer, who died and received burial at sea (i.e., even though we were all then living on dry land). Coincidentally, the pastor of my parish, a certain Monsignor Edward Martin, had been a military chaplain for several decades before he retired from the service and was assigned to my parish. Clearly he must have agreed to the release of my schoolmate's father's body for burial at sea.

One of the more beaverish souls in our midst may be able to turn up a preconciliar burial liturgy for interment at sea, but that will have to be someone other than I. I can, however, tell you that the US Navy has an official publication, Navy Military Funerals (docuмent no. NAVPERS 15555C), that includes a full description of the (Neo)Catholic at-sea burial service. I have been told that the publication contains the full text of the service, but not having seen it, I cannot confirm the accuracy of this report.