Dad Reveals He Spoke with Sailor Son Hours Before He Disappeared from USS George Washington

The father of a U.S. Navy sailor who went missing during a training exercise aboard the USS George Washington is speaking publicly for the first time about his son’s disappearance.

On Wednesday, July 30, Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Mark Langford confirmed to PEOPLE that the search for the missing sailor — identified as Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Launch/Recovery Equipment) Airman Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV — had been officially suspended.

Rivera Lynch, 20, vanished on July 28 while the aircraft carrier was operating in the ocean north of Australia as part of a multinational training mission.

His father, Jose Rivera III, told Virginia news outlet WVEC-TV on Friday, August 1, that he last spoke to his son just 12 hours before he disappeared.

“It was a great conversation,” he said. “We always ended up saying, ‘we’re so proud of you, you have been like none of the Riveras have ever been — look at you.’”

According to Rivera, his son had joined the Navy in June 2024 and reported to the USS George Washington in January. He described him as someone who left a strong impression on everyone he met.

“He was a person that, whenever you met him for the first time, you met somebody that was so likeable, very humble, very helpful,” Rivera said. “No matter where I went with him, people just loved being around him.”

The Navy initially responded to a report of a “possible sailor overboard” in the Timor Sea, according to a press release issued on July 28.

The USS George Washington was participating in Talisman Sabre 25, a major joint exercise involving U.S. and Australian forces, when Rivera Lynch went missing. The ship was on its first operational patrol since returning to Japan in November 2024.

The Navy stated that search and rescue operations lasted more than 45 hours and covered approximately 2,200 square miles. Efforts included U.S. Navy helicopters and vessels, as well as support from the Australian Defence Force and Australian Border Forces. The search was formally called off on July 30.

Rivera expressed his deep gratitude for the effort.

“I’ll forever be grateful that they did their due diligence in searching for him,” he told WVEC-TV. “They will cover every wave and every rock, and they couldn’t recover him, but the effort was there, and I commend them for that.”

A memorial service for Rivera Lynch is planned in his Florida hometown. His father is asking the community to honor Navy protocol and remember his son for who he truly was — a thoughtful, driven young man.

“They say when you lose a parent, you’re an orphan,” Rivera said, holding a photo of his son. “When you lose a spouse, you’re a widow. But when you lose a son, there are no words for that… It’s going to be step-by-step, but now he lives in me, and I will carry on his legacy until my final days.”