Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean
True Survival Stories

Richard Van Pham is a survivor. He came to the United States in 1976 after fleeing communist Vietnam. But escaping a war-torn country did not turn out to be his biggest challenge. That came in 2002.

In May 2002, Van Pham, 62, set out from California on what was meant to be a three-hour sailing trip to Catalina Island. It was a trip of just 22 miles. Instead, a sudden storm broke the mast, radio, and motor of the Sea Breeze.

Van Pham was retired. He had no boss or coworkers to notice his absence. He also had no family to report him missing. He lived on his sailboat in the Long Beach Harbor. No one knew that he was out in the water. So for nearly four months his boat drifted.

But Van Pham did not perish. He was resourceful. He drank rain water that he collected in a bucket. He ate sea turtles, fish, and sea birds. He found that he hated the taste of raw meat. So he used some of the wood from his own boat to build a fire. He didn’t know how often he’d be lucky in trying to catch game. So he tried to conserve as much food as possible. He figured out how to evaporate seawater and used the salt to preserve the meat!

In September a plane flew over Van Pham’s boat. He waved frantically. The pilot tipped his wings to show that he saw that the boat was in trouble. Two hours later a U.S. Navy frigate arrived at Van Pham’s location. He was speechless with joy. His boat had drifted about 2,500 miles. He was found 275 miles off the coast of Costa Rica.

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

Course of Richard Van Pham’s Unplanned Journey

Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

1. Van Pham was stuck on his boat for nearly

a. two months.

b. four months.

c. six months.

d. a whole year.

2. Van Pham had moved to the United States from

a. Vietnam.

b. Coast Rica.

c. Catalina Island.

d. Taiwan.

3. Van Pham’s most vital survival skill was his ability to

a. evaporate seawater.

b. let the plane know that he was in trouble.

c. build a fire.

d. figure out how to get food and water.

4. The U.S. Coast Guard didn’t search for the Sea Breeze because they never heard his distress signal. True or False? Explain.

5. In what direction did Van Pham’s boat drift? Why do you think it went in this direction?

6. If Van Pham’s boat had had an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), rescuers could have quickly located his boat. Between 1982 and 2002, EPIRBs helped to save 14,700 people. Should there be a law requiring all ocean-going boats to have an EPIRB? Why or why not?