"Jason, she's the best hire I've ever made. Never gives up."
BEN LINE said the same about a mess steward.
It took them 19 weeks to find out.
Poon Lim, Hainan, China.
⚓️
DAY 1, 23 November 1942.
SS Benlomond was sunk by a German U-boat in the Atlantic.
Gone in two minutes.
Fifty-four aboard. Only one survived.
Poon Lim got onto an eight-foot raft with 2 weeks of stores.
Spoiler… he was on it alone for 133 days.
⚓️
So he made his own kit:
🔦 A fish hook from the spring in his torch
🪢 A line from unravelled hemp rope
🔩 A bigger hook from a nail prised out of the deck
🥫 A knife ground from a pemmican tin
DAY 60+
He caught seagulls, salted them in seawater and dried them.
He even caught a shark, clubbed it to death with his water tin.
He drank rainwater out of his own life jacket.
⚓️
Ships saw him and kept going.
He always believed they took him for a Japanese sailor.
⚓️
DAY 133, 5 April 1943.
Drifted 750 miles when fishermen found him nine miles off land.
King George VI gave him the British Empire Medal.
Ben Line gave him a gold watch.
He applied to the US Navy, who turned him down for having flat feet.
Bottom rank to top. Retired in 1983 as Chief Steward.
Coincidentally, Ben Line sold their last vessels the year after he died.
More than 150 years of shipowning came to a close.
One of those was the Benlomond, built 1975, same name as the ship he went down in.
Nobody has beaten 133 days since.
Angle Recruitment, Maritime Talent Experts.
🫡 We find the ones who don't give up.
Share to a
Ben Line Group employee…
Very curious if they know this story. 🤔
The Maritime Origins Series
Maritime Origins is a storytelling series created by Jason Nangle, Founder of Angle Recruitment, a global maritime recruitment and executive search firm.
The series explores the fascinating history behind everyday phrases that originated at sea, as well as the remarkable stories, traditions and characters that have shaped maritime culture.
Many sayings still used today were first spoken by sailors navigating the challenges of life on board ships. Alongside these phrase origins, the series also highlights lesser-known maritime stories, legends and historical moments from the world of shipping.
Through short stories and visual posts, Maritime Origins connects the language, heritage and traditions of seafarers with the modern maritime industry.
New posts in the series launch every Tuesday on LinkedIn and are then shared across other platforms including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X. Follow
Jason Nangle on LinkedIn and Angle Recruitment across your preferred social platforms.
Aloof began as a Tudor helm order to keep a ship's head to windward and clear of a lee shore. How a lifesaving steer became a snub. Maritime Origins.
The mast glows blue. No heat, no flame, just tension in the air. Once a sign from the gods, now called St Elmo’s Fire. Still enough to unsettle any crew.
A1 wasn't always a boast, it started as a ship survey at Lloyd's coffee house in the 1680s. Discover how two characters became shorthand for the best today.
