What does the navy do when a sailor dies overseas?

Answer 1

It depends on the circumstances.

For combat deaths on land, every effort is made to locate, recover, and return the remains to the family of the sailor for burial/cremation. If a sailor dies aboard ship, it depends on the ship or submarine; if it's a ship within a Carrier Group, they'll fly the remains to Dover AFB for processing. If it's on a submarine or a ship without access to air transfer, or the tactical situation won't allow for a transfer, the crew will store the remains in the ship's freezer until such time as they can reach port and transfer the body.