Poon Lim Survived 133 Days Alone on a Raft
After a German U-boat sank his ship in 1942, Poon Lim survived 133 days alone on a wooden raft in the South Atlantic.
On 23 November 1942, the British merchant ship SS Ben Lomond was torpedoed in the South Atlantic. Poon Lim, a Chinese crewman, reached a wooden life raft. He would remain alone at sea for 133 days.
Turning a raft into a survival system
The raft carried limited emergency supplies. When they ran low, Lim collected rainwater, improvised fishing equipment and used whatever material he could recover. Survival became a sequence of small engineering problems: secure water, obtain food, protect the body and prevent equipment from being lost.
He tied himself to the raft during rough weather and marked passing days, though he eventually stopped when counting threatened his morale.
133 days
Alone on the raft
1942
Year the ordeal began
5 April 1943
Date rescued
Source: Guinness World Records
Rescue near Brazil
A Brazilian fishing boat found Lim on 5 April 1943 near Salinópolis. After more than four months adrift, he was reportedly still able to walk after reaching land.
His methods were later studied as examples of practical sea survival. The record is striking, but the more useful part of his story is the constant adaptation behind it.
Why Poon Lim matters
Lim had no promise that rescue was close. His achievement came from repeatedly extending the time he could remain alive. He converted scraps into tools, treated fresh water as the central resource and built routines that preserved both equipment and attention.
Sources
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