5 April 1943, after 133 days in the life raft, Lim neared land and a river inlet. A few days earlier, he had realized that he was nearing land because the color of the water had changed; it was no longer a deep ocean blue. Three Brazilian fishermen rescued him and took him to Belém three days later. During his ordeal, Lim lost , but was able to walk unaided upon being rescued. He spent four weeks in a Brazilian hospital while the British Consul arranged for him to return to Britain via Miami and New York. When told no one had ever survived longer on a raft at sea, Lim replied, "I hope no one will ever have to break that record." People have since lived longer lost at sea: three Mexican sailors floated for 10 months from 2005 to 2006 in the Pacific Ocean in a disabled fishing boat. In a similar situation, José Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman from El Salvador, was apparently lost for 439 days, floating from Mexico to the Marshall Islands. , no one has broken Lim's record on a life raft. Aftermath King George VI bestowed a British Empire Medal on him, and the Royal Navy incorporated his tale into manuals of survival techniques. After the war, Lim decided to emigrate to the United States, but the quota for Chinese immigrants had been reached. However, because of his fame and the aid of Senator Warren Magnuson, he received a special dispensation and eventually gained citizenship. The writer Alfred Bester later stated that Lim's ordeal was used in his novel The Stars My Destination, which opens with a man stranded in space. Lim died in Brooklyn on 4 January 1991 aged 72. See also Dougal Robertson – survived 38 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean José Salvador Alvarenga – survived 438 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean Louis Zamperini – survived 47 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean Maurice and Maralyn Bailey – survived 117 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean Steven Callahan – survived 76 days adrift in the Atlantic Ocean General List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea Further reading Article in The Daily Telegraph on the 75th anniversary of Lim's rescue Footnotes External links 1918 births 1940s missing person cases 1991 deaths British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II Castaways Chinese emigrants to the United States Formerly missing people Missing