The dead were two unidentified sailors from the ironclad warship Monitor, buried with full military honors 150 years after their ship sank during a storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

“This may well be the last time we bury Navy personnel who fought in the Civil War at Arlington,” said Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy. “But we do not hesitate to keep faith and to honor this tradition, even more than 150 years after the promise was made.”