Poon Lim: One Hundred Thirty-Three Days Alone at Sea

In November 1942, Chinese merchant sailor Poon Lim was serving as second mess steward aboard the British cargo ship Benlomond when German submarine U-172 sank it in the South Atlantic. Lim escaped into the water with a life jacket, found a wooden raft, and became the only known survivor. For 133 days, he drifted alone toward Brazil with limited emergency stores and no way to steer toward rescue. As his supplies ran down, he collected rainwater, made fishing gear, caught fish and seabirds, rationed what he had, and kept himself alive through exposure, hunger, thirst, storms, isolation, and missed chances of being seen. This episode reconstructs the sinking, the first hours in the water, the improvised survival system Lim built on the raft, the rescue by Brazilian fishermen, and the reasons his ordeal became one of the most remarkable castaway stories of the Second World War. This podcast uses artificial intelligence in its research, writing, production, and narration. Episodes are editorially reviewed before publication. #LeftForDead #MaritimeSurvival #PoonLim #LiferaftSurvival #SouthAtlantic