Poon Lim’s Incredible Odyssey

It was April 5th, 1943, when three Brazilian fishermen gazed upon an extraordinary sight on the distant horizon, approximately nine miles from the shore. Guided by curiosity, they steered their boat toward it, unveiling an astonishing spectacle. A frail Chinese man sat upon a rickety wooden raft, dancing, singing, and waving a tattered shirt over his head. Despite the brutal sunburn and gnawing hunger, the man’s spirit remained remarkably resilient. Several days later, with the assistance of a translator, they learned that this man was none other than Poon Lim, and he had endured 133 days adrift at sea. This is the remarkable story of his survival.

Poon Lim entered the world on March 8th, 1918, on Hainan Island, nestled off the south-central coast of China. Born amidst the backdrop of World War I and a global flu pandemic, Lim’s early life was relatively tranquil. His family, engaged in fishing in the Beibu Gulf, found solace in their humble existence. However, the late 1920s brought ominous signs of an impending Japanese invasion of China, casting uncertainty over their future. Lim’s father feared that his sons might be conscripted into the army to confront foreign invaders, a fate he deemed fatal. This prompted the family to relocate to Malaysia, where they swiftly resumed their life as fishermen.

As Lim grew, he grew increasingly restless, finding the fishing life mundane and unsatisfying. It was during his coming of age that he resolved to contribute to the fight against Japanese imperialism. Driven by this determination, he left his family behind and departed from this tranquil life to volunteer as a cabin boy in the British Merchant Navy.

Life at sea, while providing him a taste of freedom, did not quite match his expectations. Lim, alongside other individuals of Asian descent, often found themselves relegated to the least desirable tasks, facing discrimination and harassment from English officers and sailors. By 1937, Lim’s patience had dwindled, leading him to explore alternative opportunities. For a few years, he worked as a mechanic in Hong Kong. However, as another Japanese invasion loomed on the horizon, he once again gravitated toward the sea in late 1941. Although he had successfully avoided several Japanese onslaughts thus far, his destiny was sealed when he became a steward aboard the Benlomond, a 420-foot, 5,400-ton armed trader.

The Benlomond was a transport ship responsible for delivering supplies to allied forces worldwide during World War II. On November 23rd, 1942, the ship neared the end of a two-week voyage between Cape Town, South Africa, and Suriname, with New York City as its final destination, situated 1,500 miles to the north. Despite being armed, the ship’s defenses were limited, making it vulnerable to direct encounters with hostile warships or submarines. To make matters worse, the Benlomond was painfully slow. Adding to the difficulties, the ship’s ballast tanks were filled with seawater to balance it in rough seas. Moreover, the ship traversed a well-known supply route, patrolled by German submarines.

As if on cue, a German submarine measuring 250 feet detected the Benlomond around 2:00 PM. The submarine’s captain promptly sent a signal, initiating a swift response from the seasoned crew. Moments later, two torpedoes, each nearly two feet in diameter, were fired from the submarine’s tubes, hurtling toward the Benlomond, situated only a few hundred meters away. Tragically, the suddenness of the attack resulted in the deaths of nearly all 54 men on board, who either perished in the explosions or were swept away as the ship descended beneath the waves.

By a twist of fate and amidst the chaos, Poon Lim seized a nearby life jacket, leaped into the ocean, and swam away from the doomed ship. However, his survival was no guarantee. He was now alone in the vast Atlantic Ocean, disoriented and in a state of shock. He treaded water for hours, battling exhaustion. It was on the brink of surrendering to despair that he stumbled upon an unoccupied 8’x8’ wooden raft that had miraculously survived the chaos. With night approaching and no other souls in sight, Poon Lim’s grueling journey had only just begun.

In a straight path, Lim was approximately 250 miles away from the nearest landmass to the south. Nevertheless, the slow westerly current was pushing him toward the north coast of Brazil, over twice the distance away. In the days following the ship’s sinking, Lim, perched on the raft, gazed upon the endless expanse of the ocean. He realized that his chances of survival depended on his ability to persevere, utilizing the meager resources at his disposal.

Fortunately, the raft was equipped with a small survival kit, containing a flare gun, two electric cooking pots, a broken flashlight, a few chocolate bars, sugar cubes, and an 11-gallon jug of fresh water. Lim’s initial assumption was that the Merchant Navy would promptly ascertain the fate of the Benlomond, considering its known route and schedule, and mount a full-scale rescue operation. However, he harbored doubts, aware of the scarcity of resources and the insignificance of the ship’s loss in the broader context of the war. In preparation for adversity, he began rationing his limited supplies and capturing rainwater to refill his jug.

Luckily, Lim’s upbringing as a fisherman proved invaluable. He recognized the ocean’s potential to provide sustenance while waiting for rescue. A quick survey of his gear led him to craft fishing line from copper wire and fashion hooks from nails scavenged from his raft. For bait, he concocted dough balls using biscuit crumbs, wrapping them around his makeshift hooks before casting them into the ocean. The ocean yielded its bounty as he reeled in his first catch. To prepare his meager catch, Lim utilized a sharpened tin lid for filleting, consuming it immediately. The inedible parts of the fish served as bait to catch more fish, further enhancing his chances of survival. He even took the initiative to dry some fish under the sun, safeguarding them for later use.

Days stretched into weeks, and weeks into months, with Lim constantly contending with ferocious storms and powerful winds. Often, the precious supplies and dried fish were swept or blown overboard as the raft bobbed precariously on the massive waves. Moments of intense hunger, dehydration, and dejection beset Lim, requiring an enormous effort to stay awake.

Yet, the most harrowing period came when the once-abundant fish population vanished. As his food and water supplies dwindled, he resorted to catching seagulls that circled his small wooden raft. Reluctant to consume them raw, Lim fashioned jerky from the seagull meat, waiting until it had fully dried before eating. Utilizing the inedible parts of his bait and the blood as chum, he continued to catch fish and even a few small sharks. Oftentimes, he would battle these creatures on his slippery raft floor before securing his meal.

Throughout his ordeal, hunger and thirst intensified, sunburn wreaked havoc on his skin, and seasickness was an almost constant companion. Yet, these tribulations paled in comparison