Sailor Cites Environmental Grounds for Deserting Ship

A sailor who says he deserted his ship nearly three months ago because he refused to dump trash into the ocean has turned himself in and asked to be considered a conscientious objector for environmental reasons.

Aaron Ahearn, 20, who served in the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln’s sewage and garbage disposal maintenance unit, underwent questioning on Wednesday after his surrender the night before, a Navy spokesman said.

Ahearn, an avid surfer and member of the environmental group Surfrider Foundation, said he went absent without leave Feb. 13 because he was distraught over polluting the ocean. He said his duties included throwing 200 bags of trash a day overboard.

He said he also saw raw sewage dumped into San Francisco and San Diego bays.

“It was demoralizing,” he said. “It went against everything I believe in.”

Ahearn said he asked for a transfer to different duties but was refused. On Tuesday, he requested an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector at Alameda Naval Air Station.

Lt. Kent Davis, a spokesman for the Abraham Lincoln, said authorities would decide whether to discipline Ahearn for desertion. Davis denied that the aircraft carrier violated dumping rules and said the ship recently passed a trash and toxic inspection.

But Ahearn said the trash contained plastics, grease from the galley, paint and toxic chemicals. Other sailors also tossed overboard desks, chairs, computers and doors, Ahearn said. He said they also dumped his camera when he tried to document the polluting.

The military is allowed to dump trash into the ocean, but officials say most plastic is carried to shore on voyages shorter than 20 days. Plastics contaminated by food are thrown overboard for health reasons. However, Navy regulations require that furniture be salvaged.