14 Facts About Alain Bombard

Alain Bombard theorized that a human being could very well survive the trip across the ocean without provisions and decided to test his theory himself in order to save thousands of lives of people lost at sea.

Alain Bombard was a Member of the European Parliament from the Socialist Party for France from 1981 to 1994.

On 19 October 1952 Bombard began his solitary trip across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Indies, after visiting his newborn daughter in France.

Alain Bombard had sailed in the Atlantic Ocean solo before, from Tangier to Casablanca and from Casablanca to Las Palmas.

Alain Bombard drank a limited amount of seawater for a long period on his trip.

Alain Bombard made a major navigation mistake which made him believe that he was sailing much faster than he actually was.

However, after the ship's crew offered him a meal, Alain Bombard decided to go on.

Alain Bombard reached Barbados on 23 December 1952, after 4,400 kilometres of travel.

Alain Bombard had lost 25 kilograms and was briefly hospitalized.

Alain Bombard published a book about his trip entitled Naufrage Volontaire in 1953.

Alain Bombard's claim was later tested and contested by Hannes Lindemann, a German physician, canoeist and sailing pioneer, although both the French and Taiwanese navies concurred with Alain Bombard's findings, the Taiwanese exercise extending to 134 days.

Lindemann later claimed that Alain Bombard had actually taken along fresh water and consumed it on the ocean, and that he had been secretly provided further supplies during his voyage.

Alain Bombard never argued that human survival is possible only by drinking seawater.

Alain Bombard's legacy is still debated; in any case, an inflatable survival raft is still very often called a "bombard" in French, in memory of the doctor's adventure in the Atlantic.