Ever hear of Poon Lim?

[NNN0LHI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poon_Lim

Poon Lim or Lim Poon BEM (March 8, 1918 – January 4, 1991) was a Chinese sailor who survived 133 days alone in the South Atlantic.

Lim was born in Hainan, China. In 1942, during World War II, he was working as second steward on the British merchant ship SS Ben Lomond, which was on its way from Cape Town to Dutch Guiana. The ship was armed but slow moving and was sailing alone instead of being in a convoy.

On November 23, the German U-boat U-172 intercepted and torpedoed the ship in position 00.30°N 38.45°W, some 750 miles east of the Amazon. As the ship was sinking, Poon Lim took a life jacket and jumped overboard before the ship's boilers exploded. Although accounts differ, out of the crew of 55, a total of 11 other sailors may have eventually been rescued. snip

When told no one had ever survived longer on a raft at sea, Poon Lim replied, "I hope no one will ever have to break that record." People have lived longer lost at sea, the current record being 10 months for 3 Mexican sailors in a disabled fishing boat. However, as of 2011, no one has broken Poon Lim's record on a life raft.

[Johnny Rico]

1. Just read the Wikipedia article. The man wouldn't give up.

Survival is frequently a matter of attitude, and Mr. Lim did whatever it took to survive his ordeal. An inspiring story.

[MADem]

2. What a GUTSY GUY! Great story!!!

Loved the shark part:

When he saw sharks, he did not swim. Instead he set out to catch one. He used the remnants of the next bird he caught as bait. The first shark to pick up the taste was only a few feet long. He gulped the bait and hit the line with full force, but in preparation Poon Lim had braided the line so it would have double thickness. He also had wrapped his hands in canvas to enable him to make the catch. But the shark attacked him after he brought it aboard the raft. He used the water jug half-filled with seawater as a weapon. After his victory, Poon Lim cut open the shark and sucked its blood from its liver. Since it hadn't rained, he was out of water and this quenched his thirst. He sliced the fins and let them dry in the sun, a Hainan delicacy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poon_Lim

I learn something new every day at DU!