Alain Bombard

Alain Bombard ( born October 27, 1924 in Paris, † 19 July 2005 in Toulon) was a French physician, biologist and environmentalist politicians.

Bombard was known primarily for his medical studies on the possibility of survival of castaways in the 1950s, which are partly based on self spectacular experiments. In July 1952 Bombard sailed from Gran Canaria in 65 days across the Atlantic, allegedly without carrying drinking water and food. He says that he fed on the road only by sea water and marine animals, especially fish which are squeezed liquid he had used as drinking water. Bombard lost on the journey about 25 kilograms of weight and suffered from spinal problems that have been attributed to its ocean journey later.

Bombard self-experiment was a few years later challenged by Hannes Lindemann. Lindemann was not able to repeat Bombard self-experiment, instead he needed to survive rainwater as drinking water; therefore he later claimed Bombard 've actually taken on board fresh water and drunk and was also supplied on the Atlantic secretly with food. Lindemann's Bombard different results used the World Health Organization for their advice for navigation.

Bombard was later active in environmental policy. In 1981 he spent a month as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment Member of the French government, he also spent 15 years member of the European Parliament.