HI Nivard. As far as I know my Gt. Grandfather's body was not recovered. The ship had run into a Cyclone 3 days after leaving New Orleans. My gt. grandfather was lost, apparently, on the 9th Oct 1882, as per the death certificate copy that I have for him. The ship arrived at Queenstown Ireland, not a scheduled stop as far as I know, apparently she had lost 2 of her boats, presumably life boats, and was short of coal. Shortness of coal fits with her having been through a heavy storm and having to sail full steam ahead through the storm, she would use her coal up more quickly. The day after she arrived in Ireland she sailed on to Antwerp Belgium, her scheduled destination, where she left her load of Grain on 1st November. She then sailed home to Hartlepool arriving there on 2nd. of November. That is where the death was registered by the master Mr Darnell. The ship having lost 2 of her boats I have always wondered whether more men were also lost at the same time, maybe some went to in the life boats to try and rescue him. My Gt. Grandfather, a master mariner, was sailing as Mate on that voyage, though he had mastered the same ship in earlier voyages that same year. I think that deaths at sea are recorded, even when the body is not recovered, so long as there were witnesses to testify to the event of the loss. Otherwise how come I have the death certificate which says drowned as the cause of death? I have never found a burial for him in the burial indexes for Hartlepool. His wife and some of their children were buried in the old cemetery on the headland there after services at St. Hilda's church, the church the family had always used. But the list of Smith burials that I have from the St. Hilda's PRs do not show such a John Smith around the end of 1882. I wish I could find a burial for him but I never have. I think he was just lost at sea, even though some attempt at rescue had maybe taken place causing the loss of the 2 boats and perhaps other men also drowned in that attempt. The newspaper reports of the incident just say that he was washed overboard during a heavy storm, nothing about his body being successfully recovered. Regards Jenny DeAngelis <<In the case you cite in 1882 was there a body recovered I ask as I am reliably informed by an ex registrar that if there was no body there would be no death registration or certificate, not a normal anyway, there may be a court document stating presumed death or as a result of an inquest but even then there is no death certificate as such>>