An Australian warship has rescued a Lithuanian rower who became stuck in a tropical cyclone while attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean from California.

Aurimas Mockus had been rowing for 136 days and was thought to be less than a week from the finish line in Brisbane when he was forced to activate his emergency beacon amid rough seas.

He was taken aboard the 16,000 tonne Australian navy landing ship HMAS Choules, where he was undergoing a medical assessment on Monday, said Vice Admiral Justin Jones.

“Because of highly unfavourable sea conditions, Mr Mockus’s boat could not be recovered except for two oars and some personal items,” the Australian maritime safety authority, which coordinated the rescue, said in a statement