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WonderHistory fact

Poon Lim, a Chinese steward, survived 133 days alone on a raft in the South Atlantic. A German submarine had sunk his British cargo ship, the Benlomond, in November 1942; Brazilian fishermen rescued him in April 1943.

South Atlantic, 1942–1943

HistoryBiography

The story behind the card

The Benlomond sank within about two minutes, and Lim was its only survivor. After some two hours in the water he climbed onto an empty 2.4-metre wooden raft stocked with food, water and a torch. When the supplies ran out after around two months, he made a fish hook from the torch's spring and a line from unravelled rope, caught fish and seabirds, and collected rain in the canvas cover of his life jacket. Passing ships and a US Navy patrol plane saw him but did not rescue him. He drifted about 1,200 kilometres west and was found 16 kilometres off the Brazilian coast, 9 kilograms lighter. King George VI awarded him the British Empire Medal, and the Royal Navy added his methods to its survival manuals.

Türkçe oku
Çinli kamarot Poon Lim, Güney Atlas Okyanusu'nda bir salda tek başına 133 gün hayatta kaldı. Çalıştığı İngiliz yük gemisi Benlomond'u Kasım 1942'de bir Alman denizaltısı batırmıştı; Poon Lim'i Nisan 1943'te Brezilyalı balıkçılar kurtardı.
Güney Atlas Okyanusu, 1942–1943

Benlomond yaklaşık iki dakikada battı ve gemiden sağ kurtulan tek kişi Poon Lim oldu. İki saat kadar suda kaldıktan sonra, içinde yiyecek, su ve bir el feneri bulunan 2,4 metrelik boş bir tahta sala çıktı. Erzak iki ay kadar sonra tükenince fenerin yayından olta iğnesi, çözdüğü halattan misina yaptı. Balık ve deniz kuşu yakaladı, can yeleğinin brandasıyla yağmur suyu topladı. Yanından geçen gemiler de onu gören bir ABD Donanması devriye uçağı da kurtarmadı. Batıya doğru 1.200 kilometre kadar sürüklendi ve Brezilya kıyısına 16 kilometre kala, 9 kilo zayıflamış hâlde bulundu. Kral VI. George ona Britanya İmparatorluğu Madalyası verdi; Kraliyet Donanması da yöntemlerini hayatta kalma kılavuzlarına ekledi.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Poon Lim
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