What you can drink in flight, and what you don’t have to drink at all. Tips for those who are going to fly. Why can't you drink sea water? What happens if you drink sea water

Brad Kavanagh and Deborah Kylie

On a sunny day late autumn 1982, the ship went to regular flight from Maine to Florida. There were five people on board: John Lippot and his girlfriend Meg Mooney, Mark Adams, Brad Kavanagh and Deborah Kylie. A long journey awaited them and each other's company, they were strangers, except for John and Maggie. From the start of the trip, things got worse as John and Mark found mutual language and both were heavy drinkers. The weather began to deteriorate on the second day at sea and by evening the water level had risen to 15 feet and the wind was up to 60 knots. Brad and Deborah were first on duty for 11 hours during the storm while John, Mark and Meg were in the cabin drinking. When John and Mark sobered up to take watch, Brad and Deborah finally went to rest. They woke up in the middle of the night from a panicked scream, and realized that the ship was quickly filling with water. As it turned out, John and Mark secured the helm and went to bed instead of being on deck watch.
They untied the life raft, but it immediately deflated. Luckily, they had a Zodiac inflatable boat that they inflated and launched. Everyone was able to get to the boat, but Meg got entangled in the ship's gear and when she got out, she had very deep wounds, almost to the bone, on her arms and legs. As soon as they got to the boat, they tried to turn it around, but the wind turned it back, so they spent 18 hours in the water waiting for the storm to die down. Meg was exhausted, and others tried to support her so that she would not drown.

The next day, the storm subsided and they were able to turn the boat around and board it. From the boat, they saw that hundreds of sharks surrounded them, and they pursued them until the end of the journey. On the third day, Meg had severe blood poisoning and was almost catatonic, without the slightest movement or sound. Mark and John drank sea water and were also semi-conscious. John left them first. He thought he saw the ground, he just said that he went to the store for cigarettes, jumped into the water and swam a few meters. The people on the boat heard a scream and then silence, and John was gone. Around this time, Mark, who was delirious, said that he wanted to freshen up. He jumped into the water full of sharks, a thud was heard under the boat, the water turned red, and Mark was out of sight. Meg died on the fourth day, at night.

The next morning, when Brad and Deborah woke up, Meg's body was already stiff and they threw her into the sea. Soon they saw a ship that was sailing towards them. The crew of the ship saw them and they were rescued. The painful journey is over.

Troy and Josh

On April 25, Josh Long (17) and his best friend Troy Driscoll (15) decided to hunt for sharks. They sailed on a boat in the sea, near the city where they lived, in South Carolina, not noticing the warning about the rough current of the sea on the beach. The current carried their boat very quickly. In the fight against the current, Josh dropped his new fishing rod overboard, frustrated by the loss, he also threw away their food supply (very smart decision!).

The guys started their hellish journey without food, water and other supplies. In addition, they had no protection from the scorching sun other than light clothing. To prevent heat stroke, they dipped into the water, but after a close encounter with a shark, they stopped dipping.

Incredibly, they managed to survive for six days without water, occasionally eating jellyfish. On the sixth day, when they had already scribbled their death messages to their families on the boat, the guys heard the boat and were able to give a signal. After the rescue, both teenagers were sent to the hospital for treatment for severe sunburn and dehydration. Troy's condition was so severe that the doctors said he would have lived only a few more hours if not for medical attention.

Amanda Thorns and Denis White

Amanda Thorns (25), her father Willie (64) and godfather Denis White (64) set sail from Cape Cod on 6 November. Although Amanda and her father had sailed around Cape Cod many times before, it was her idea to go to cruise. They planned to sail to Bermuda.
At about 12 pm on the 6th, a storm suddenly started and they had to go down to the cabin to wait it out. The storm was still raging on the 4th day, Captain Thornes was on watch while Amanda and White tried to sleep. Came for a 30 foot wave giant wave and turned the boat around. The mast and almost all the gear were washed off the deck, and the captain got entangled in the gear, dangling above the water. Those on the boat did everything to get the captain on board, but the ship turned around again and again, and all their attempts were in vain. They had to cut off the ropes and let the captain go "free swimming".

For the next three days, Amanda and White mourned their father and best friend in the cabin, constantly pumping water and trying to keep warm. And the storm continued to rage outside. Having lost all means of communication and the power source of the boat, there was nothing they could do. They just listened to the anchor and mast (which was still hanging off the boat) hitting the hull over and over again, which could shatter the boat completely. They tried to signal passing ships with flares, but to no avail.

Ten days after the loss of the captain, White managed to haul the anchor aboard. In a last desperate attempt to survive, White took a 10 foot mast from a small boat and tied it to the remains of the main mast. He turned her sideways and caught the wind. They managed to swim 50 miles on the first day, and on the second day they fired the rocket again, seeing big tanker. This time luck was on their side and they were discovered. On 21 November they finally arrived in Bermuda, heartbroken by the grievous loss of their captain, and yet alive.

How to survive in a cold store

On August 23, a 10m wooden Thai fishing boat with 20 crew members crashed and sank in rough seas. Most of the crew fell overboard and were never seen again. Two men were hanging from a large cold store used to store fish when the ship sank. They managed to climb into this refrigerator when it began to rise, but they had no way to help other crew members.
It is believed that 50 knot winds from Storm Charlotte drove the freezer and it was lucky that this refrigerator did not crash during these extreme weather conditions. weather conditions. The weather was both beneficent and disastrous, for the men would never have survived were it not for monsoon rains who almost daily provided them with fresh water.

They sailed like this until January 17 with rainwater and only a few old frozen fish carcasses remained in the bottom of the freezer. They were noticed by a customs plane by pure chance, which called a rescue helicopter for help. The photo was taken from an airplane, showing two men frantically waving their T-shirts in the hope of being seen.

They were taken to a hospital on Thursdee Island where they were treated for severe dehydration, starvation and severe sunburn. After recovering, they went home to their nearly hopeless families.

boys from fiji

When Samu Perez (15), Filo Filo (15) and Edward Nasau (14) decided to sail home from Atafu Atoll in a small metal boat on October 15, they had no idea what they were getting into.
The boat was blown off course by a strong current and they were presumed dead after they searched 1,000 km² and found nothing. Their parents, relatives and friends mourned their deaths and held a memorial service for them as the three children swam in vast ocean. How shocked and delighted their families were when the children returned to them after 50 days.

Drifting in the ocean, the guys were able to survive. They ate raw fish and a seagull that accidentally boarded the boat of three hungry children. Every morning they drank the rainwater that was collected on the tarpaulin. Approximately two days before their rescue, death became inevitable and they began to drink sea water due to a lack of rain for several days.

Luckily, the boys were discovered and rescued by a tuna boat off the coast of Fiji in late November. When they were found, they could not even stand without assistance. They swam approximately 1,600 km (1,000 miles) in 50 days. At the hospital, they were treated for severe dehydration, starvation and sunburn before being returned to their happy parents.

Stephen Callahan

Stephen Callahan was an avid sailor, naval architect and planned to sail from canary islands through Atlantic Ocean on Bahamas in a 6.5 meter boat, built by hand. About a week later, during the trip, the boat was badly damaged by something unknown (possibly a whale) at night, in bad weather. He had to leave the boat, he barely had time to inflate the life raft and take the essentials. He took a sleeping bag, food and water, navigation charts, a speargun, flares, a solar distiller (to condense fresh water). drinking water from sea water) and Dougal Robertson's manual "Survival on the water".
He knew that he would not be looked for for about a few weeks and therefore the instincts of self-preservation were activated. For the next 76 days, he drifted with the south equatorial current and a dry tropical wind (trade wind).

After running out of supplies, he hunted fish, and ate mainly Mag-Magi fish, tiger fish, and flying fish. When the water supply ran out, Steven used a solar watermaker to get precious water during the day (he got about 500 ml of water a day). One day, the spear of his weapon pierced the fish's back and as the fish continued to swim under the lifeboat, the spear pierced a large hole in the bottom. This resulted in the boat being unstoppable, but Stephen managed to patch up the hole with a tarp.

On day 76, being able to determine his location, Stephen finally reached his goal. Fishermen picked him up off the coast of Guadeloupe. He was taken to the local hospital, but he didn't even stay the night; instead, he was treated on the island for a month and then went on a boat trip through the West Indies.

Richard Van Pham

Richard Van Pham is a 62-year-old man from Long Beach, California. In May, he went on a 3-4 day trip to the resort island of Catalina. Along the way, he got into a storm that broke the engine, mast and communications. Unable to find his way home, he gave in to the current and sailed in his small boat for three months.
He managed to capture and kill the turtle, which he partly ate and partly used as bait. He would leave bits of meat on the deck and when the seabirds came to take this bait, he would beat them with his tortoise shell. He also managed to extract salt from water by evaporation, and he used it to preserve meat. He also made a distilling device and purified sea water to make fresh drinking water, and he roasted seagulls on a small homemade grill using wood from a boat as fuel for a fire.

Every day he looked over the horizon hoping to see land or another boat, but almost every day he saw nothing. One day, he saw a plane. The plane lowered its altitude as if to greet Richard, and a few hours later a rescue ship came to his aid after nearly four months at sea.

In addition to this amazing story, Richard Van Pham was given another sailboat after his rescue. This new boat was equipped with modern communication and navigation equipment. Two years later, he was again found in the ocean. Fortunately, he was only there for a few days, but again there was no navigational equipment on board. After being rescued, he was fined for not being necessary equipment on board.

Maurice and Marilyn Bailey

Marilyn and Maurice had been sailing their 31-foot yacht from South Hampton for several months, until disaster struck. Their journey began in June and they intended to immigrate to New Zealand. By February of the following year, they had made it safely through the Panama Canal and have not been heard from since. About a week later, the whale damaged the yacht very badly. In the side of the body formed big hole, through which water gushed, and they immediately inflated a life raft and an inflatable boat (Maurice insisted on taking it with him). They threw all their belongings on the raft and tied two inflatables together. They managed to grab some food cans, a small oil burner, a map, a compass, a water container, knives, plastic cups, passports, and extra rubber and glue (for patches) before their yacht sank.
For several days they ate canned food and drank rainwater. When they ran out of food, they ate raw sea turtle, seabird, fish, and even shark, which they caught with their bare hands and small hooks made from safety pins.

Seven ships passed by them and did not stop. And with each ship their hope of salvation melted away. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, their clothes rotted on their bodies and they developed severe wounds and burns. The inflatable raft and boat got so bad that they had to inflate them every day.

On June 30, 1973, this ordeal finally came to an end when a Korean fishing boat spotted a small dot in big ocean, and the crew decided to swim closer and examine it. When they were taken on board, they occasionally lost consciousness, and it can be assumed that only a few hours separated them from death. Each lost 20 kg, they could neither stand nor move without assistance. Finally, after 2400 km and 117 days, they were rescued.

Pun Lim

Poon Lim is the world's largest sea survivor. A 25-year-old Chinese sailor, Poon Lim has been assigned as a steward on the British vessel Merchant. The ship left Cape Town with a crew of 55 on November 23, 1942. A few days later, a Nazi submarine blew up a torpedo. The ship was sinking fast and Poon decided to bend overboard. When the ship was completely submerged, he could hardly breathe, because the waves constantly covered him, and he desperately tried to find a life raft. Finally, after a two-hour struggle to survive, he saw a life raft. Poon swam up to him and climbed into the raft with the last of his strength.
On board, Poon found a metal flask, biscuits in cans, several flares, a flashlight, and a small supply of fresh water. He calculated that if he only ate two cookies and drank a few sips of water a day, these supplies would last him a whole month. But at the end of the first month, after seeing several ships that failed to rescue him, Poon realized that he had a long raft trip to discover land.

He caught a fish using a wire from a flashlight as a hook and a piece of dry biscuit as bait. The next time it was much easier to catch the fish, because he used the pieces of fish as bait. He also managed to catch a seagull and a shark, whose blood he drank to quench his thirst. He made marks on the tree of the raft to know how many days he was at sea, and Poon also swam twice a day, a kind of physical exercise to avoid muscle atrophy.

On the 131st day, Poon noticed a change in the color of the water and saw an accumulation of seabirds and algae. On the 133rd day, he saw a small sail on the horizon, and soon a small boat came to his aid. He was at the mouth of the Amazon River, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Poon lost 10 kg but managed to maintain his strength and was able to walk independently after his rescue. He still holds the record for being at sea on a raft.

mexican fishermen

Lucio Rendon, Salvador Ordonez and Jesús Eduardo Vivand, along with two other comrades, set sail on a 25 foot fiberglass boat for a three-day shark hunt in the early morning of October 28, 2005 from the port of San Blas Nayarit, Mexico. After feeding and placing the shark hunting equipment, they began to prepare for the big catch that awaited them the next day. The next day they returned to where they thought they had left their gear, but it was not there. They spent several hours looking for expensive equipment. By that time they had used up all their fuel, they were very far from the coast to row back, and the wind, along with western current took their boat to open ocean.
The supplies were enough for four days and after that, they realized that their thirst was growing more and more. They no longer had fresh water and they also ran out of food. For three days they did not eat or drink anything. On the third day, the men gave in to their desire and drank some sea water. This made him vomit, but luckily a mist descended that night, and on the fourth day it began to rain lightly. They cut off the tops of plastic fuel containers, washed them sea ​​water and when did it start heavy rain, they managed to fill 4 containers, 200 liters of fresh water. Food was more difficult. Lucio said: “We only ate twice in November. I've never experienced such hunger." Their first meal was sea ​​turtle, which floated to the surface to gulp some air. They took her out of the water, cut her head open and drank the blood. Then they divided the meat among themselves (there were 5 of them) and ate it raw. Two other comrades could not overcome themselves and eat raw meat, and they died of starvation at the end of November.

They continued to catch turtles (El Salvador kept count of the turtles by marking the boat, and when they were rescued the number reached 103 turtles) and seabirds. A few months later, they made hooks out of nails and screws and used shells to hook onto the hull of the boat as bait. In this way they caught small fish and used them to lure larger fish, and in this way they managed to catch sharks, sawfish and dorado.

They salted and dried some cuts of meat for rainy days when there was no catch. It is believed that men did not get scurvy due to the large number of fish. When eaten raw, it contains some vitamin C.

The men sailed until August 9, 2006, when they were spotted on the radar of a Taiwanese fishing trawler. The trawler came across three very thin but healthy men. They were saved! After spending about nine months at sea, they entered the record books as the hardiest survivors at sea. They were found about 200 miles from north coast Australia, where they sailed 5,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean. On August 25, the sailors returned home, where the people of the whole city called it a miracle. The miracle happened to three men whose names mean "savior" (Jesus and Salvador) and "bright" (Lucio).

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Are you looking for this? Perhaps this is what you could not find for so long?

Many people are simply delighted with air travel. But do they know what happens during the flight?

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Odnoklassniki

Air personnel have clear answers about what goes on behind the cockpit door.

Here are the most interesting answers.

It seems that reading the following information may make you think twice before getting on a plane.

1. The truth about the need to turn off electrical appliances.

The pilot answers:

“The requirement to turn off gadgets is actually completely useless: phones and tablets will not lead to a plane crash. Just imagine yourself in the shoes of a pilot who is preparing a plane for takeoff and suddenly hears the signal from more than a hundred phones at the same time that have lost the network. A couple of times I thought we had engine problems."

2. Pilots sleep most of the time.

“Half of the pilots are asleep, another third of them wake up and see that their partner has also fallen asleep.”

3. How pilots come in for landing.

“If you have ever experienced a hard landing in bad weather, it is not because of the inexperience of the pilot. If runway strip covered with water, the plane lands harder to “break through” the water cover and prevent skidding. Basically, the landing is a controlled plane crash.” the pilot says.

4. If you are flying by plane major airline, this does not mean at all that the pilot is experienced.

The pilot of the regional lines says: “You can buy a Delta, United or American ticket, but fly on a subcontractor aircraft. This means that the local pilots receive some of the money and a small fraction of the training and experience from the main company. Also, I don't get paid too much so that I care about whether you make it to your destination on time. Most time we fly slower to save fuel. Flight to top speed happens either by order of the airline, or if this is the last shift of the day.

5. The truth about oxygen masks.

“If you put on a mask, then oxygen is there for no more than 15 minutes. However, this time is enough for the pilot to lower the plane to a height where passengers can breathe normally. More importantly, at altitude you only have 15-20 seconds before you pass out. Put the mask on yourself first, and then on the child. Fainting for a couple of seconds won't hurt the baby."

6. The water in the toilets is very dirty.

“Whatever you do, don't drink the water in the toilet. We clean water tanks on a strict schedule and only remove hard deposits. The bacteria living there have long since developed immunity to our purifiers.”

7. About meals on the plane.

“My father works in aviation, here are a couple of secrets from him. Two pilots are given different food. This is done to prevent poisoning in both. Stealing food by flight attendants (even if it is later thrown away) leads to dismissal with a ban on working in this position. Therefore, food should be asked for, and not taken by yourself. Flight attendants don't let people get confused in the kitchen."

8. The truth about flying with pets.

“I'm a manager. It pisses me off the way animals are treated. The airline may literally lick your ass, but your pet will be treated horribly. The screeching and barking in the luggage compartment is just awful. Think twice before taking pets with you."

9. What do flight attendants do when asked to turn off their phones?

“My sister is a flight attendant. After that, she goes to her compartment and begins to correspond with friends.

10. You can not drink water on the plane that is not poured from a bottle.

“Don’t even touch this water! Holes for pumping waste from the toilet and filling the aircraft plumbing system are nearby. Sometimes one person does it."

11. The real reason why the lights are dimmed when the plane lands.

“When the plane lands in the dark, the lights are dimmed so that your eyes are ready for the darkness outside, if you have to urgently evacuate the cabin.”

12. Lightning and the power of the pilot.

“My father has been flying for 20 years and says that lightning hits planes almost all the time. If a passenger behaves strangely, the captain of the aircraft may not let him on board and fly away without him. In general, after the entrances are locked, the commander has almost unlimited power: he is allowed to arrest people, issue fines, and even accept the wills of dying passengers.

13. Toilets can be opened from the outside.

“Usually, the mechanism is located under the “Toilet” sign: just lift it up and move the slider to the side.”

14. Real story bomb threats.

“My friend is a commercial line pilot. About 5 years ago he flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo. When they got a call saying that there was a bomb on board, they were flying somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Airlines have instructions for such cases: do not panic, so as not to frighten passengers.

He says that for the rest of the flight, he had an adrenaline rush with every shake in the turbulence zones. They took the bomb threat seriously because several high-ranking officials were flying first class.”

15. Tips for flight attendants.

“My girlfriend is a flight attendant. If a passenger gives her $5 after the first glass, then she will drink for free for the entire flight.”

16. Shop in the air - swindle.

“Any product that is sold on an airplane can be bought online for much less money.”

17. Aircraft with failed engines can fly for a long time.

“If the aircraft's engines fail, then the aircraft can glide 6.5 km for every kilometer of altitude. Thus, from a height of 11 thousand meters, the plane will fly another 65-67 km. That's why most crashes happen on takeoff or landing."

18. It is difficult for airplanes to fly in hot weather.

“I worked on a cargo plane in Phoenix. On hot days, we had to unload the plane, because it is very difficult to take off in unsaturated air.”

19. How to make it clear to those on the ground that the plane has been hijacked.

“If the plane is hijacked, then the pilot does not retract the flaps when landing, so the plane lands slowly, and this is a signal to the ground services that something has happened on board.”

According to statistics, the aircraft is the most safe view transport today. However, air travel has reverse side medals: whatever one may say, a flight is still an unusual state for a person. Of course, those who were afraid to fly, after this information, are unlikely to get rid of their fears. And for those who are used to relaxing on an airplane, we recommend that you be careful.

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Water is the basis of life on our planet. No living being can live long without it. Although in nature there are species that do without moisture enough a large number of time, but in the end if they do not find the source, they will die. 80% of the entire Earth is covered with water, but only 3% of it is suitable for human consumption. So why can't you drink sea water?

The sea and ocean beckon a person to them, especially in very hot weather. Everyone loves to come to big water, lie in the sun, cool off in the coolness of the sea breeze and swim. But when you are thirsty, not a single person goes to the seashore to fill a bottle and quench their thirst. Yes, and while swimming, this water probably got into everyone's mouth, and they immediately spat it out, went ashore and drank clean fresh water. Why is this happening? Can you drink sea water? No, it is strictly prohibited due to its specific composition.

Salt concentration

One liter of liquid from the sea contains about 40 grams of salt, while a person should consume at least 3 liters per day. But at the same time, he can digest salt no more than 20 grams per day. Simple mathematics shows that if you drink 3 liters of sea liquid, you will overdose, which will lead to very serious consequences. The kidneys are an organ that processes all the minerals that have entered the body. The main routes of waste excretion are urination and sweating. If someone decides to experiment and take a sip of salt water, then the kidneys will have to work in a mode of increased complexity. Such a huge load they will not be able to. The salt that remains after this liquid must be extracted from the body. And this will happen only if it is dissolved in fresh water. But there is nowhere to take it from, so for survival it will be pumped out of the tissues. The fluid will become sorely lacking, and dehydration will set in. This will lead to the gradual failure of all vital systems of the body and, if the situation is not quickly corrected, to death. That's why you shouldn't drink salty sea water.

Chlorides and sulfates

In addition to salt, which will dry out a person from the inside, the composition of the sea fluid includes a variety of biogenic substances (metals, sulfates, chlorides), which must also be processed and removed. But here, too, there is a problem, because this process also requires fresh water. And its number is decreasing very quickly. Cells are clogged with these substances, which become poison for them. They slowly begin to die. Therefore, the question of whether it is possible to drink sea water in order to survive can hardly be answered in the affirmative.

Sodium sulfate

In addition to the above, there is another compound in the marine fluid that is worth mentioning separately. It's sodium sulfate. In medicine, it is known for its strong laxative effect. This will lead to even greater dehydration of the body, as a result of which the poisoning will only worsen. If this process is not stopped in time, then the person will go crazy, and internal organs will die from irreversible changes. And this is another answer to the question of why they do not drink sea water.

Dangerous experiment

Although every self-respecting traveler or scientist knows about the dangers of drinking liquid from the depths of the sea, there are daredevils who refute everything previously notable studies. One of them was Alain Bombard, who tested for himself what would happen if you drink sea water. This man was a doctor and a biologist. He was trying to find ways to help people survive a shipwreck in the open ocean. He himself crossed the Atlantic in 65 days. This period was very difficult for him. He survived only by fishing. The fish served him both as food and as a source of drinking water. He personally designed and manufactured a special press that squeezed out marine life life-giving moisture. But he decided to go even further. Every day he drank liquid from the ocean in small portions. This led to very severe dehydration, and by the end of the trip, Alain Bomber had lost as much as 25 kilograms. Thus, he was able to prove that a small amount of sea water daily may not kill a person.

Ocean dwellers

If salty liquid is so dangerous, then why do fish feel great in it? Why can't people drink sea water, but for them it is their home? The tissues of these creatures contain salt in very small quantities. This gives them the opportunity to absorb fresh water when eating each other. In addition, they have an excellent salt excretion system, and the kidneys have absolutely nothing to do with it. They are very small in fish and do not play a special role. They were replaced by a desalination machine. It is located in the gills. Cells, which are only found in marine life, purify the blood from salt and bring it out along with the mucus. This adaptation provides the fish with a long and carefree life in the depths of the ocean.

A vital necessity

From the foregoing, it is completely clear why sea water cannot be drunk. But what if a person finds himself in the middle of the ocean without a supply of fresh liquid? You can follow the example of Alain Bombard and squeeze water out of fish that still need to be caught. The second option is water desalination. This procedure can be carried out in several ways. These are distillation, separation, freezing, electrodialysis, direct and reverse osmosis. Naturally, in the middle of the ocean it is simply impossible to conduct most of them. But something needs to be done. In order for the water to become fresh, it must be poured into a deep dish, preferably dark in color. This container is lowered into a plastic bag and tightly tied. The sun, which is abundant in the ocean, will heat this vessel and evaporate the water. The steam will settle on the walls of the bag and flow down. And if this homemade device is lowered overboard, then the condensation process will go much faster.

First aid

60% of our body consists of water, so the loss of most of it leads to very dangerous consequences. What should you do if you are around someone who is showing symptoms of dehydration? Everything is very simple: you need to give him a drink, but he should do it in small portions. But you can't get by with just water. You also need to replenish the supply of glucose, as it will help the rapid absorption of fluid. This formula of salvation was developed back in the 1960s, but it has not changed much to this day. Therefore, the water that the victim drinks should be slightly sweetened. After a strong desiccation of the body, a whole range of procedures and the intake of many drugs are needed to help restore damaged cells and tissues.

Thus, speaking about why sea water cannot be drunk, it is worth mentioning the terrible consequences of such actions. It poisons the body, kills all the internal organs and drives you crazy. The amount of salt that can enter the body with one liter of sea water is 2 times the amount that human cells can handle. Therefore, it is not worth experimenting with this.

January 17, 1960 hurricane wind was torn off the mooring by the Soviet self-propelled tank landing barge of project 306 under the number T-36, which was unloading at Kuril Islands. On board were four servicemen of the engineering and construction troops of the Soviet army: junior sergeant Askhat Ziganshin, privates Philip Poplavsky, Ivan Fedotov and Anatoly Kryuchkovsky. These people spent 49 days on the high seas without food or water. The last radiogram received from the barge was as follows: "We are in distress, we cannot approach the shore." We decided to remember others amazing stories about survival in the ocean.

Barge T-36

Around 22:00 on January 17, 1960, the barge, which had already managed to get a hole, was carried out into the open ocean. The ship was not designed to sail on the high seas, it was used to transport goods, it was not even given a name. The waves reached the height of a five-story building, one of them disabled the radio station. No intensive search was undertaken in the disaster area, the soldiers were considered missing. In addition, the search work was stopped due to the rocket firing carried out in those days: rescue and other ships were forbidden to go to sea. Meanwhile, the barge was swept up by the warm Kuroshio Current, which reaches a speed of 78 miles a day. Japanese fishermen, not without reason, called it the "stream of death." There were practically no food supplies on the barge, and soon everything that even remotely resembled food went into food: leather belts, tarpaulin boots, soap, toothpaste. Fresh water was in the barge engine cooling system, when it ended, the soldiers began to collect rainwater.

On March 7, the barge was discovered by the American aircraft carrier Kearserge, which delivered troops to San Francisco. The ship's doctors found that if the rescue had come a day later, the sailors would not have been found alive: each of them lost an average of 30 kilograms. In America, when the soldiers were already strong enough, a press conference was organized, during which the sailors spoke about the details of the drift. All American newspapers wrote about him. The Governor of San Francisco presented the heroes with a symbolic key to the city. Then the servicemen were sent to New York, where they met with representatives of the Soviet embassy, ​​and then they were sent to their homeland, where they were awarded the Order of the Red Star and gained wide popularity. For example, a street in Syzran was named after Askhat Ziganshin. The solidarity, modesty and courage with which these people survived the ordeal caused real admiration around the world. The sailors who found themselves in such extreme conditions not only survived, but also managed not to lose their human face. The American soldiers who rescued them marveled at the support the sailors gave each other. It is also known that during the drift on January 27, Anatoly Kryuchkovsky turned 21 years old, the hero of the occasion was offered a double portion of water, which he refused. This story was also reflected in culture: films were made about it, and Vladimir Vysotsky dedicated the song “Forty-nine Days” to the sailors.

Lin Peng

Chinese sailor, known for that survived 133 days in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1942, the British merchant ship on which Lin Peng served was heading from Cape Town to Dutch Guiana and was blown up by a German submarine. Lin Peng managed to escape: he jumped overboard before the ship exploded, and a few hours later found a life raft with supplies: biscuits, drinking water, chocolate, sugar, a couple of smoke bombs and an electric flashlight. When food supplies ran low, the sailor fished, for these purposes he turned the wires from the flashlight into a fishing hook, the fibers of the rope into fishing line, and collected rainwater. Lin Peng saw the ships several times: an unhelpful cargo ship passed by, several German submarines. The Chinese sailor was then discovered by a US Navy patrol squadron, which dropped a signal buoy, but due to a storm that soon broke out, they were unable to help. On April 5, 1943, he was rescued by three Brazilian fishermen. By this point, Lin Peng had lost only 9 kilograms in weight and was able to move around on his own. He spent four weeks in a Brazilian hospital, after which he left for the UK, where George VI awarded Lin Peng with a medal. british empire. Later, his recommendations were included in the British Royal Navy manuals on survival techniques. In 1952, Lin Peng received US citizenship. In total, Lin Peng spent 133 days on a raft, a record for the longest stay on a raft and alone, which has not yet been broken.

Tami Oldham Ashcraft

In 1983, American Tami Ashcraft and her boyfriend from Britain, Richard Sharp, planned to make a pleasant walk along the Tahiti-San Diego route, but plans were thwarted by a storm of magnitude 4 and winds blowing at a speed of 100 km / h. Their boat capsized and Tami was below deck and passed out. When she woke up 27 hours later, she found that Richard was missing, his lifebelt was torn, and the mainmast was broken. When the sailboat returned to its normal position, the girl managed to build a temporary mast and sail a distance of 1.5 thousand miles, paving the route to Hawaii by the stars. Using food and water sparingly, Tami entered Hilo Harbor 40 days later. In 2000, she told about her story in the book “The Sky, Crimson with Sorrow”.

mexican fishermen

Three Mexican fishermen got into the Guinness Book of Records in 2006 after spending more than nine months in pacific ocean without supplies and drinking water. On October 28, 2005, shark catchers from the city of San Blas went fishing. Suddenly, both engines of their twin-engine boat stopped, and strong wind took the fishermen to the open ocean. On August 9, 2006, a Taiwanese fishing trawler noticed Mexicans sleeping in a boat northeast of Australia, that is, 8,000 kilometers from their native shores. All this time, the fishermen occasionally ate fish, seagulls, and collected rainwater. Sometimes they went without food for two weeks. Time was guided by the clock of one of them. Several times they saw the ships, shouted to them, but remained unnoticed. The fishermen had a Bible with them, which they regularly read, claiming that only faith helped them to keep the hope of salvation.

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Stephen Callahan

Stephen Callahan is an American yachtsman, famous for having been shipwrecked in 1982 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 76 days on an inflatable life raft. He set off from the Canary Islands towards Antigua in a small boat, which he himself built, being a shipbuilder by education. Six days later, the boat sank after a nighttime collision 450 miles from the Cape Verde Islands with something unknown, possibly a whale. Stephen moved from the boat to a two-meter life raft with a diameter of about 6 feet (1.8 meters), which did not allow him to straighten up to his full height. Callahan had navigational charts, a harpoon gun, three solar watermakers and a sleeping bag, and a book on survival on the high seas. In addition, Stephen read about Lin Peng's survival experience. Callahan spent 76 days at sea, survived an encounter with sharks, numerous sunburns, holes in the raft, physical and mental suffering. During the drift, he lost about a third of his weight. Since the supplies quickly ran out, he had to hunt fish with a spear, catch birds and shellfish. Because the raft was small and the beacon was ineffective, Callahan was overlooked by the nine ships he passed. On the 75th day, April 20, 1982, the current brought the raft to the island of Marie Galante in the Caribbean, and the next day, Callahan was found by fishermen. During this time, the American crossed the Atlantic Ocean at a distance of approximately 1.8 thousand nautical miles (3300 kilometers). After the rescue, Callahan released the book Adrift: Seventy-six Days Captive by the Sea, and a guide to survival at sea. In 2012, he was invited as a consultant for the filming of Life of Pi.

Lovers from Novorossiysk ate seeds and drank salt water

Purely summer, resort and absolutely incredible story rescue took place in Krasnodar Territory with a young couple. Mikhail and Nadezhda, who went fishing in an inflatable boat, got into a storm, for five days they were carried by the sea. From food - only seeds, drink - sea water, night cold and sunburn ... The ships did not notice them, but in the end a man named Christ saved them. Well, why not a plot for an adventure movie? And a clear example - faith cannot be lost even when there is practically no hope for a miracle.

Mikhail and Nadezhda with family.

The misadventures of young people began when they decided to go fishing on a new inflatable boat near Myskhako, a small village in the Krasnodar Territory. Residents of Novorossiysk Nadezhda Achapkina and Mikhail Alaverdyan drove up to the seashore in a car, pulled out a boat they had just bought, left all their belongings, documents, phones in the car - they would suddenly fall out - and, having grabbed fishing rods, went to boat trip on calm, like in a lake, water.

The guys fished for a short time. According to Nadia, literally twenty minutes later a strong wind arose, which began to carry their small ship farther and farther from the coast. Despite the desperate struggle with the waves, at some point Misha and Nadya realized that they were standing in one place. Around the same time they lost their first oar.

We basically fought the storm because the wind didn't seem to stop even for a second,” says Nadya. - In the vicinity of Novorossiysk, the north-east periodically blows - a wind that starts suddenly, strongly, unexpectedly. It is very strong, cold and blows from the shore. This north-east is either three or six days. It was they who carried us to the open sea. Plus there was a big storm.

All our strength was spent on warming up, because the boat was constantly flooded with water, splashes and we were very cold, especially at night. Every night they waited for the first rays to somehow warm themselves.

The incessant struggle with the waves and the piercing cold were not the only problem for the guys. In the car, they left not only phones, but also water with food. It is understandable - after all, the fishermen were going to spend only half an hour at sea.

We didn't have anything with us. From food - only a bag of seeds. On the first and second days we ate a handful, and then, during another storm, the boat turned over and they fell out.

We didn't feel like drinking for the first three days, because it was very cold because of this wind, we got cold. But on the fourth day, they realized that the body was starting to dry out. And I started drinking sea water. You need to swallow a lot of it at once so that at least something is felt in the stomach. And we must also keep in mind that after this a strong fever begins, but this is all tolerable. It's better than thirst. And I didn’t want to eat because of stress, so we were even lucky in this.

- How was your physical condition? The photo shows that you have burns.

There were burns, but the problem was not only in them. My leg is very swollen. Since we went to the toilet in the boat, plus, water was poured there - all this fell into open wounds from mosquito bites. There was some kind of internal infection. The dermatologist says it's probably erysipelas. The ankle was very swollen. It has become as wide as the place where the five fingers on the foot meet. But now the swelling is slowly subsiding.

And, of course, burns. When we returned, our whole body was covered with blisters. Then they burst, the skin began to peel off.

Mikhail and Nadezhda in the boat.

Did ships sail by? Did you try to reach out to them?

A lot of ships sailed. Pieces, probably fifteen. We shouted, we waved. They thought that even if they did not stop, they would pass it on to the shore somewhere, that there were people here, on the high seas. But now, as we see, no one said anything.

One ship launched a green rocket late at night. But we had nothing to answer - we did not take anything with us. This ship waited thirty or forty minutes and sailed away.

In the end, we were picked up forty miles from the coast, closer to Taman, because our boat was constantly worn. At night we sailed closer to Tuapse, and during the day we were carried to Anapa and Taman. So we moved in a zigzag way and ended up very far from the coast. If we translate these miles, it turns out that we sailed 70 kilometers.

- Did you try to swim to the ships yourself?

They tried to row to the ships, to the shore. We lost the first oar almost immediately, so one of us rowed with our hand, or with the lid of a fishing tackle box. But we still could not cope with the wind, so we just stood still and hoped that some ship would sail right at us.

Fortunately, the hope of the guys came true and one morning, on the horizon, in a light haze, they saw a black-and-red tanker slowly approaching them under Greek flag. For the captain of the ship, Christos Konstantinidis, this story was the same miracle as for the guys. After all, the fact that they were noticed and saved is a happy coincidence. Usually at this time the captain did not appear on deck at all.

Christ told us that he usually prays from twelve to one in the afternoon in the cabin. He has two icons hanging there: the Mother of God and Christ. But on this day, for some reason, he did not go - he was drawn to the deck. And there already the sailors said that they saw us.

After that, a very difficult climb aboard began. We jumped out of the boat and tried to swim to the ladder, which we threw off the side. But by that time, we had no strength left at all. You swim and understand that you won’t be able to master even a couple of meters.

- How did the crew of the ship react to you?

Everyone helped us in any way they could. Gave clean clothes, personal hygiene items, provided the first medical care. In general, the guys on board were very rushed with us. We ate whatever we wanted there. In general, the team is just golden.

There were mostly Filipinos and Greeks, one Russian and one Romanian. Now they continue their flight and should be somewhere in Turkey. But when the flight ends, I really look forward to Christos to visit me.

Salvation of Hope.

What was the first thing you did when you landed?

First of all, we met with the border guards. They did not understand that we were in a very difficult physical condition. It was impossible to stand still. Then we drove to Novorossiysk, finally went to bed. And from the next day, running around the doctors with a leg and burns began.

- Was there something that helped you to hold on, not to despair all these days?

I would like to advise everyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, first of all, not to panic. And, since this happened, you can’t waste your energy on self-pity. You just need to get out in every possible way. We talked to each other, waited for help, believed that we would be rescued. We prayed very hard, and God heard our prayers.

- What will you do now?

I'm going to get a job. We moved only in May - we will settle down. We will do repairs, we will play a wedding soon. This story pushed us to something that should be appreciated every day.