Why JFK’s original coffin had to be disposed of in the middle of the ocean

November 22nd marked the 60th anniversary of the assassination of US president John Fitzgerald Kennedy. You know that. Some of you may even remember it, although for a majority of our population now, it is “so 20th century”.

Tomorrow marks the 58th anniversary of a poignant and related event, the disposal of JFK’s coffin at sea on February 18th, 1966.

After the assassination in Dallas, his body was eventually placed in a bronze 180kg-plus coffin for transport back to Washington. His wounds were such that nurses at the Dallas hospital wrapped his remains in linen sheets and lined the coffin with plastic so that blood would not seep through to the lining, but it had little effect.

The autopsy took place at the Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington, at the request of Jackie Kennedy. By the time the body was embalmed and presentable the coffin was such a mess it was decided it could not be used for the president’s lying-in-state at the Capitol. It was replaced by a wooden, African mahogany casket.

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About a year later the US government stepped in and took charge to prevent it becoming a macabre souvenir or going on exhibition

This remained closed, despite advice from officials that it ought to be open so the public could see JFK was dead. Such were his head wounds that this was overruled by Jackie Kennedy and her brother-in-law, Bobby.

The Washington funeral home that embalmed JFK’s remains then held on to the first coffin, not knowing what to do with it. About a year later the US government stepped in and took charge to prevent it becoming a macabre souvenir or going on exhibition.

On 18th February, 1966, at the Kennedy family’s request, it was disposed of by the US Air Force. They filled the coffin with 36kg sandbags, drilled more than 40 holes into it, encased it in a pine box, bound it with metal banding tape and fitted parachutes.

It was loaded on a transport plane, which flew about 100 miles out into the Atlantic away from shipping lines and to a point where the ocean was 2,750m deep. The coffin was pushed out of the plane’s tail hatch and, after the parachutes softened its landing on impact with the water, it began to sink immediately. The plane circled for about 20 minutes to make sure nothing resurfaced. Nothing did.

RIP, JFK.

Coffin, from Old French coffin, for “sarcophagus”; Latin cophinus for “basket, hamper”; Greek kophinos, “basket”.

inaword@irishtimes.com