Poon Lim

Poon Lim BEM (also: Lim Poon, born March 8, 1918 in Hainan, China, † January 4, 1991 in New York City, USA) was a Chinese sailor who drove after a shipwreck 133 days on a raft through the South Atlantic and record holder in the sole survival on the high seas.

The Shipwreck

Until after the Second World War, the hiring of Chinese seamen was common practice in the British merchant fleet. So it was that Poon Lim in 1942 as a ship steward was on board when the British Benlomond from Cape Town took off. On 23 November 1942, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German but U -Boot U 172. A lifejacket helped Lim then to survive the first few hours. He drove her through the sea, until he later discovered a life raft and was able to climb it. The wooden raft was about 2.4 m tall and had some canned food with canned bread, water, Bengali and electric lamps on board. The scarce supplies were Lim sparingly with food. He allowed himself only a few sips of water, and two pieces of bread in the morning and evening. Thus, he calculated that he could get along one month.

Twice believed himself Lim rescued when he was a freight ship and later a ship of the United States Navy happened: But his cry was ignored. Also a German U- boat sighted Lim, but left him to his fate.

Poon Lim drove 133 days through the sea, until he was finally rescued on April 5, 1943. He was the only survivor of the 55 -strong crew of the Benlomond. The British King George VI. awarded him in recognition of his power, the British Empire Medal.