Welcome to Lost at Sea Memorials.
For ten years of my professional life I was an air traffic controller. One question always asked of a pilot when filing a flight plan is “How many souls on board?” It is a somewhat morbid question. I suspect that ‘souls’ was substituted for ‘bodies’ decades ago, to make it softer in some way. Fortunately that information is seldom needed – and quickly deleted with the flight plan when the flight lands safely.
Lost at Sea Memorials are always dedicated to ‘souls on board’ – souls lost at sea while sailing on naval & merchant marine vessels at war, while flying on aircraft that crash at sea, while manning fishing vessels and research ships and oil derricks lost to accidents and weather. Lives are suddenly and violently lost. Mortal remains are never found. Grateful nations, local associations, labor unions, or families and friends eventually create monuments to these souls.
This blog is devoted to those memorials – and to the lives and the stories they represent. It is my hope that others around the world will add to the site as time passes. Many of these memorials are local in nature – and local residents can best tell their history.
Please send me an email via the ‘Contact’ form if you wish to make a contribution to the site content.
Carol Smith said:
This is a most interesting subject in a beautifully designed website. I look forward to seeing future entries that you, as well as others contribute. I plan to add contributions of my own. Memorials to “souls lost at sea” is a subject dear to my heart.
Lendall S Knight said:
Is my first cousin once removed, a naval aviator lost at sea in WWII, eligible to have a memorial headstone in Arlington National Cemetery? His family placed a private marker in the family plot in CT.
Mike said:
Dan, An excellent a poignant site and a reminder that the sea is a harsh mistress at times.
A good web site if searching for UK & Commonwealth relations or just for research then I would recommend he Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site. This link for example is for Artic Convoys
https://www.cwgc.org/history-and-archives/second-world-war/campaigns/war-at-sea/arctic-convoy