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Poon Lim, who survived 133 days alone on a raft in the Atlantic

Hard to believe

Poon Lim, who survived 133 days alone on a raft in the Atlantic

11 min

After his ship was torpedoed in 1942, a merchant sailor drifted alone on a small wooden raft for 133 days — fashioning fish hooks from a flashlight spring and catching rainwater — in the longest solo survival at sea on record.

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Show notes

Poon Lim survived one hundred thirty-three days alone on a wooden raft in the South Atlantic.

Lim fashioned fishhooks from flashlight springs and braided hemp rope into functional fishing lines.

A sharpened pemmican tin lid served as a butchering blade for processing captured sea life.

Drinking shark liver blood provided essential hydration after a storm destroyed Lim's fresh water supply.

Lim maintained his physical strength by performing daily swimming rituals to prevent muscle atrophy.

The Royal Navy incorporated Lim's improvised survival techniques into their official training manuals.

In this episode

  1. 1Intro1 min
  2. 2The Sinking of the SS Benlomond2 min
  3. 3Improvising the Tools of Life3 min
  4. 4The Shark and the Storm3 min
  5. 5Rescue and the Record2 min
  6. 6Outro1 min

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Poon Lim, who survived 133 days alone on a raft in the Atlantic — Fylom