Poon Lim

Poon Lim (Chinese: 潘 濂; pinyin: Pān Lián; 8 March 1918 – 4 January 1991) was a Chinese sailor who survived 133 days alone in the South Atlantic.Lim worked as second steward on SS Benlomond, a British merchant ship, when it was sunk by U-172, a German U-boat, on 23 November 1942. He soon found an eight-foot (240 cm) wooden raft with supplies. When the supplies ran low, Lin resorted to fishing, catching seabirds, and collection rain. On 5 April 1943, Lin was rescued by three Brazilian fishermen as he neared the coast of Brazil. After his return to the United Kingdom, Lin was awarded a British Empire Medal by King George VI. After the war, Lim emigrated to the United States.