Navy officials identified the sailor Thursday from the USS George Washington who went missing, presumably overboard, in the Timor Sea near Australia earlier this week.
The USS George Washington was in the Timor Sea with other boats from Carrier Strike Group 5, part of the U.S. 7th Fleet, to participate in the 2025 Talisman Sabre exercise alongside Australian military personnel. Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV, 19, went missing from the USS George Washington on Monday, the ship’s public affairs office said in a release.
Mr. Lynch, who began serving as an aviation boatswain’s mate on the USS George Washington in January according to ship officials, is assumed to have gone overboard. Search efforts to try and find him following his disappearance took 45 hours and spanned around 2,200 square miles before they were suspended Wednesday.
His father, Jose Rivera, told USNI News that he was “greatly appreciative to the Navy for the massive search they did for him. It proved to me that, yes, he was one of their own.”
Mr. Lynch first enlisted in the Navy in June 2024.
“There are many things I can say about my son — a vibrant young man, educated, humble. He truly loved the Navy, he truly loved what he did,” Mr. Rivera told USNI News.
Capt. Tim Waits, commanding officer of the USS George Washington, said that “our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of our shipmate, Airman Rivera Lynch. I am sincerely grateful for the support and coordination from all units who assisted in the search effort, including our partners from the Australian Defence Force and Border Force.”
