Alain Bombard (born the October 27th 1924 with Paris, dead the July 19th 2005 with Toulon) is a French doctor and biologist.

Studies

It was raises Alsatian École.

Alain Bombard discovers the sea during summer holidays that it passes in Brittany where it learns the practice from the veil. Its completed studies of medicine, it settles with Boulogne-sur-Mer and when, one day, one brings to him the bodies of 41 sailors died in the shipwreck of their trawler, its life is changed. Indeed, he wants to find solutions to increase the chances of survival in the event of shipwreck.

He starts by being interested in the fatigue strength, for that he does not hesitate to cross the Manche to the stroke and studies the inflatable boats more closely. At the oceanographical institute of Monaco, it analyzes the composition of water as well as the behavior of the shipwrecked men. It now more but does not remain to him to prove than it rightly, and for this reason it will not hesitate to try the experiment itself.

On board the Heretic

In 1952, he becomes researcher with the oceanographical Musée of Monaco. Specializing in the questions of survival at sea it thus leaves the principality with an English volunteer, Jack Micrometer caliper, on board a Zodiac, “ the Heretic ”, equipped with a sail and with for only equipment: a Sextant, a net with Plankton and some books. With Tangier, Palmer decides to give up and Bombard sets out again only towards the Alizé S. Bientôt it is found without anything at the horizon, goodwill wind and currents. The first days, it is nourished as envisaged: fish sea water and juice. But it will have to wait 3 weeks to see the rain. Gradually, the fear of death, the diarrheas and the weight loss weaken it. Then it makes sign with a cargo liner, Arakaka , which gives him an egg, a " very petit" piece of calf's liver, a spoonful of cabbages and two or three fruits, but he refuses to give up because would be to give reason to all its detractors.

The sea breaks out and obliges it to bail out without stop and always with the means of the edge: its shoe or its hat. The last weeks will be very hard but it will end up touching ground with the Barbados the December 23rd 1952 after 113 days of sea. It is in a deplorable health condition and must be hospitalized.

From return in France, it is awaited by many journalists and its popularity increases, although some still doubt and suspect it of having cheated. With the account of this adventure, voluntary Shipwrecked man , published in 1954, it acquires a world famous.

According to its formula, he wanted to prove that the “shipwrecked men die of despair”, not of hunger or thirst (see the Méduse ). Moreover, its adventure will return obvious of many practical points to facilitate the survival of the shipwrecked men; it is “the victory of slackness against the hard one” (the zodiacs versus the old Chaloupe S).

It makes conferences, explains, describes and puts all its conviction to convince. Today it is made thing, the derivatives of Zodiac of survival are obligatory on the boats. Until its death, Bombard accepted letters of shipwrecked men who survived thanks to his experiment.

Néanmois, a few years later the German doctor Hannes Lindemann tried to repeat the experimental voyage of Bombard, but found that one could not survive without additional fresh water. Lindemann disparaged Bombard by saying that it had taken water with him and had consumed it at sea; and that moreover, it was to have received in secrecy of the additional provisions to the broad one. The the World Health Organization used the results of Lindemann for its councils for navigation.

Beyond its role in the knowledge of the shipwreck, Bombard is illustrated in the ecology and the protection of the sea. With the beginning of the year sixty, one in particular sees it being mobilized at the side of Paul Ricard and forty provencaux elected officials in the business of the " muds rouges" blackcurrant. It acted for the factory Pechiney de Gardanne, to pour in the sea, via an underwater pipeline, its waste resulting from the bauxite (the " muds rouges") necessary to the manufacture of aluminum. The mobilization failed. The pipeline was built.

Some practical advices

• That to eat: fish which one manages to fish (Bombard was arranged a wire of fishing), plankton (very rich in vitamins)
• That to drink: sea water in minor amounts and before being thirsty, of rainwater, the water extracted from fish in a hurry (except certain fish, like the Raie S, the rate of salinity would threaten the kidneys)
• How to occupy itself: to give a timetable for rythmer its day, and to avoid the trouble which supports despair
• to be wary: Espadon S (which are likely to burst the boat), of the Requin S, but especially of despair (Bombard took its tension each day and noted it on a notebook: its minimum is not at the end of the way, but at the times of despair)

The “drama of Étel”

In order to test a new type of lifeboat, Alain Bombard, in company of six volunteers, tries on October 3rd 1958 to cross on board his boat the “bar of Étel”, large blade with the mouth of the ria formed by the conjunction of the rising tide, the flood and water which runs out of the river. The boat is turned over then, followed shortly after Vice Admiral Schwerer II , Lifeboat. The assessment is heavy: nine dead including 3 on the boat of Bombard and 6 among the rescuers.

Political role

In 1975, one year after its adhesion, it was named to advise with the environment with the French Socialist party.

It was General adviser Canton of Six-Furnace-the-Beaches.

He was Secretary of State near the minister of environment in the first government of Pierre Mauroy (May 22nd - June 23rd 1981). He left the government following declarations on the hunt. He was also European Député of 1981 to 1994.

References

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