On April 5, 1943, Brazilian fishermen discovered a raft in the coastal waters. On it was Lin Peng, a Chinese sailor of the British Navy. He spent 133 days in the open ocean and set a record for human being in extreme conditions.
To say that nothing foreshadowed trouble, of course, is impossible. It was 42nd year. Britain was at war with Germany, so the torpedoing of the Benlomond by the German U-172 was not an accident. Only one of the 49 crew members survived the sinking of the ship. His name was Lin Peng.
Lin Peng did not get confused, being overboard did not get confused, being overboard. He was not used to despair at all. In many ways, it was this that determined the fact that he ended up living. After two hours of sailing, he managed to find a liferaft among the wreckage. The find was truly happy, especially considering the fact that the Germans, after torpedoing, also checked the ocean for British survivors.
There was a small amount of provisions on the raft. This only saved Lin Peng for a very short time. We must pay tribute to the sailor - he did not pounce on food and water and indulge in serene sybarism. Food and water were counted by him and distributed among meals. Food and water, even with the most economical consumption, only lasted for a month.
Lin Peng realized that food and water would sooner or later run out, so from the first day of his "Robinsonade" he began to prepare equipment for collecting rainwater and fishing. He stretched an awning over the raft, made a line from the threads of the rope found on the raft; from a nail and wires from a flashlight - hooks; made of metal from a tin can - a knife with which he cut a caught fish. Interesting fact: Lin Peng could not swim, so he was tied to the raft all the time.
Lin Peng caught fish very little, but took care of its safety - he dried it on ropes stretched over the deck of his "ship". For a hundred days, his diet consisted of one fish and water. Occasionally, seaweed was overboard, the consumption of which prevented Lin Peng from contracting scurvy.
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The bitter irony of Lin Peng's record voyage is that he could have been rescued multiple times. Once he was not taken on board a cargo ship just because he is Chinese. Then the American Navy noticed him and even threw a rescue buoy at him, but the storm that broke out prevented the Americans from completing the rescue mission. In addition, Lin Peng saw several German submarines, but for obvious reasons did not turn to them for help.
In April 1943, Lin Peng noticed that the color of the water had changed, and birds began to appear in the sky every now and then. He realized that he was in the coastal zone, which means that his chances of success increased many times over. On April 5, he was found by Brazilian fishermen, who immediately took him to the hospital.
Surprisingly, Lin Peng was able to walk on his own after his journey. He lost only 9 kilograms during the forced "Robinsonade". For comparison: Alan Bombar, who spent 65 days in the ocean during an experiment on the possibilities of human survival, lost 25 kg during this time, his erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels were bordering on lethal, he was diagnosed with a serious visual impairment, his toenails fell out, the entire skin is covered with a rash. Lin Peng emerged from his hardest expedition with fewer losses.
After his voyage, Lin Peng became a celebrity and was awarded a government award from the British Empire. After the end of World War II, he achieved American citizenship and served in the US Navy until he was almost seventy years old, retiring with the rank of chief steward. Lin Peng's recommendations were included in the survival manual for the British Navy. Lin Peng's story was used in part in the production of the movie Life of Pi.