People's reactions to death have always been the same, even if time changes. Even the change of culture did not change the shape of the reaction much. In ancient times it was a common belief that death was the end. So there was no going back after death. Death meant separation. When it was time to leave, the rituals showing the form of the separation became funeral ceremonies. Throughout history, these ceremonies have been transformed into different religious rituals with the influence of different beliefs and cultures.

These ceremonies were the preparation stage of the journey. These rituals also had the purpose of arranging for the deceased to find their way in the other realm. All these ceremonies were prepared to prepare for death and afterward. Most of the temples and religious services were on land. In this case, what method would be applied to those who died in the middle of the sea? There were different methods for this. The application at sea was different from the application on land. After the dead sailors, a funeral ceremony was held at sea. As an old maritime tradition, it had different shapes in different societies. Although the form was different, they all had one purpose: to honor the deceased.

The funeral ceremonies implemented by sailors date back to ancient civilizations. These ceremonies go back to the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations. In these civilizations, in addition to normal funeral ceremonies, special ceremonies were organized for those who died at sea. For example, the Greeks believed that they had gone to Hades after death. They thought they'd be in Hades' underworld. Of course, they believed they had to cross the Acheron River before. A boatman by the name of Charon used to take money from the dead and offer them across the river. Therefore, when the Greeks buried, they would put two coins in the buried eyes so that they could give money to this boatman. For a sailor who lost his life during a naval accident, some money was kept under the mainsail so that he could give money to the boatman.

The Vikings, another community, held ceremonies for the dead. There was also a funeral for ships. Ship ceremonies were held on land. Expired ships were burned and scattered ashes or kept under a mound. In the books that mention the legends of the Vikings, they also mention that this group burned the ships and left them in the sea. Certain arrangements and restrictions were introduced to the funeral ceremonies in the Middle Ages. In Catholic Europe, for example, it was strictly forbidden for the dead to be burned and the resulting ashes scattered to the sea. This was called disrespect to the dead. It also made sense that the immortality of the soul was not believed. This belief was thought to be related to pagan beliefs. Traditional burials were performed in the churches. In some special cases, the burials were allowed if the ashes were to be buried. Or if someone drowned in the sea, this body was allowed to be thrown into the sea with the coffin. Spanish and French sailors kept their sailor's funerals in the hold of the ship because of their belief. The British held extensive religious ceremonies for sailors who died at sea. The practices of the Anglican Church were more flexible than others. When a sailor was killed, the ship was stopped and the lifeless body wrapped in sailcloth. Then he was attached to the funeral and thus thrown into the sea. In the Royal Navy, the corpses of navy personnel were burned and their ashes were put in a container. This vessel was then thrown into the sea. In this case, the scattering of ashes into the sea would not be desired. Many of the sailors, who were Protestants, demanded that they are buried. Blessed sea fields were created by clergy for exactly this purpose.

In the Jewish faith, the situation was very different. According to this belief, if someone died, he had to be buried immediately. Dead bodies found under the sea were not buried. The corpses of the sailors who died because of this belief were kept on board until they arrived ashore. In some cases, if health risks arose, the necessary precautions would be taken this time and the body would be removed from the ship.

According to Islamic belief, the burial of the corpse, the dead, would have been preferred, if death had taken place at sea, if the corpse could not be brought ashore before decay, then the dead body would be allowed to be left at sea. In this case, the dead body was attached to the weight and thus thrown into the sea. For the scavengers not to eat these corpses immediately, the bodies were thrown into the waters where they were not. Another application would be to prevent the body from swelling. Between the two planks, the body would be tightly tied. After that, the body was thrown into the sea. If the funeral reached the shore, the body would be facing the Qibla, and the body would be buried by the people there.

As the journey times at sea increased, there were increases in the incidents of death. Scurvy was one of the most important causes of death. The most important cause of this disease was seen as vitamin C deficiency.

• Plague,

 • Cholera, 

• Dysentery, 

• Typhoid, 

• Yellow fever was another disease following scurvy. 

The corpses that were kept on the ship for a long time began to rot. This was a serious health problem for the crew, especially in tropical regions. The funerals had to be kept intact until land. The only way to do this was to embalming the body using special mixtures. Although embalming methods have been known for a long time, their application was quite laborious. For ordinary seafarers, it was a set of methods that were not often applied. In the mid-19th century, the way to keep the funerals intact was to keep the body in ice. This method was frequently used on ships trading ice. 

The method used for corpses in the sailing age is as follows. The funeral was put in the shroud and this was sewn. The last stitch was passed through the body's nose. If a sailor died in the 19th century, his hammock was often used as a shroud. The funeral in the shroud was weighted with lead to sinking. Then he was first released into the sea with his feet facing the water. The same procedure was used for the funerals in wartime and peace periods. A ceremony was held by the captain just before the funeral was released. The ship was stopped with a single stop and the starboard was halved. The funeral was placed on a long plank with the foot side of the body facing the sea. After the religious procedures were done, the plank would be bent and the body would be released into the sea. With the advance of aviation in the 20th century, it was easier to bring the bodies of the dead sailors to land. Technically, the planes did not reach the desired equipment, this application was slightly later. The ceremony of the personnel who died on the sea during World War II was held on the deck. After the ceremony, the funeral was left to the sea. Since the facilities were insufficient, the funerals were put into the sail cloths without being placed in the coffin and left to the sea, aggravating with stone and cannonball. In the coffin, the body was put on starboard and the body was placed on a long plank. With the command, the plank would be bent and the coffin would land.

Nowadays, it is no longer a necessity to leave the funerals to the sea as the method of transporting the funerals from the air to the land and keeping them in cold stores is developed. However, if the person made a will before he died or if the owner of the funeral requested this application. In our country, the bodies of the martyrs are sent to the country of the martyr after a special ceremony on the deck for the navy. In cases where their bodies cannot be reached, for example, when we have a soldier killed during a conflict at sea, a wreath is left to the place where this conflict or martyrdom takes place every year. These commemorations are held regularly every year and emphasize the importance of remembering the soldier with respect.