"The Sunken Yacht" is a 10-page funny animal comic book short story written, drawn, and lettered by Carl Barks. Characters in the story include Donald Duck, his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, Uncle Scrooge, an Artist, and a Boxer. The story was first published in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #104 (May 1949). The story has been reprinted several times since.

In 1964, Danish inventor Karl Kroyer salvaged a shipwreck by pumping expandable polystyrene foam balls into its hull. He was denied a patent for the process because it had already been described in the comic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunken_Yacht

Danish inventor Karl Kroyer once salvaged a shipwreck in Kuwait in 1964 in record time by pumping expandable polystyrene foam balls into its hull. When he went to register his process, he was denied a patent because the process had already been described in this comic. Strange but true!

http://www.comics.org/issue/7579/