The ashes of John F. Kennedy Jr. were returned to the Atlantic. This wasn’t a public spectacle. It was a private ceremony held aboard the USS Briscoe on July 22, 1999. Six days after his plane went down off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, the former first son’s remains were released into the water.
The location was specific. It sat several miles away from the crash site. Why there? The families wanted to avoid a media circus. They also honored a personal wish. JFK Jr. had reportedly stated he wanted to be buried at sea.
Two other sets of ashes joined him in the ocean that day. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, his wife, was lost with him. Lauren Bessette, her sister and JFK Jr.’s sister-in-law, was also on board. Their ashes were scattered together. The ceremony was small. Intimate. A quiet departure for a family that had already lived under a microscope.
