Okobo Mori watched the sunrise from the poopdeck of his galley, 1 more day and they would reach Pusan and safty. His satifaction was short lived as his adjective ran up deck to meet him, " honored one, several unknown objects are visable coming towards us from the direction of the rising sun". Sweat began to pour off off Okobo, he was samurai and not even afraid of death itself, but this scared him. Was it Kobukion? A hail from the masthead confermed his worst fears--kobukion, kobukion---turtleships, turtleships!!! Okobo scream to turn the ship around and signal the rest of the fleet. He saw only 12 turtleships to his 133 warships, but those were not good enough odds to get him to fight the dreaded turtleships. As his ships turned he knew it was too late, they would not get away. " prepare for battle" he cried, he was samurai, he knew how to die. As the Korean ships closed he wispered a prayer to his ancestors, for dying was what going to happen.
The Ima Jin war of 1592-1598 between Korean and Japan led to the rise of a remarkable man and his brainchild. Yi Sun-Sin and the turtleship. Yi was born in 1545 and began a military life in 1576. When war broke out he was commanding the Cholla squadron of the korean navy. A japanese fleet of over 700 warships escorted a 200,000 samurai invasion force. Toyotomi Hideyoshi of japan angry at Ming China demanded passage thru Korea to strike China. When Korea declined, the Japanese invaded. The Korean army was no match for the veteran samurai ,who swiftly seized the capital and moved north. Even a token Ming force sent to aid them couldn't slow the Japanese down. Only lack of control of the sea prevented Japanese consolidation of their gains.
In 1592 Yi had foresaw war with Japan, either supporting their Ming ally or a direct Japanese invasion. He began working on a project--the turtleship. The turtleship was not new, it had been used as early as 1413 by Korea. The early vessals had re-enforced wood planking and no cannon. Yi simply brought them up to date. The first ships were completed just 2 days before the invasion.
Kobukion or Turtleship
@ 120 feet long
@ 26 feet wide
@ 20 feet high
16 oars- 8 per side with 4 rowers each
2 masts-removable
armour plates covering the topside with spikes scattered all around to prevent boarding
cannon--reports conflict, most have @ 15 while there talk of up to 40 on later models.
The Turtle head has a cannon to either side and 1 below it. The head itself has 2 tubes able to shot out chemicals. The first is an asian version of greek fire, the second a sulfuric acid cloud that caused blindness and asphyxintion. The ship while heavy was suprisingly fast for its size. It had a crew of 80 rowers and sailors plus 45 soldiers.
In may of 1592 Yi attacked the main Japanese fleet at Okpo bay, outnumbered 800-80, the turtleships sunk 30 japanese warships with no loses. The next day at Sach-on Yi scored another victory against heavy odds. At Hasan Island in july he sunk 119 japanese ships. Yi liked to used an inverted V formation, caughting the Japanese in the V and a crossfire. By this third victory Japanese crews took to beaching their ships at the site of the turtleships and fleeing inland!! By now lack of control of the sea had forced the Japanese to retreat back to the lower half of Korea. Yi decided to raid their main base at Pusan. He sent fireships into the harbor, scattering the 500 ships gathered there. He then hunted down and sunk 250 of them.
By 1597 the Japanese resorted to a spy to defeat Yi. They " leaked " word of a convoy just waiting to be ambushed and made sure Yi heard of it. But Yi seeing the charts of the area and words from his own spies refused to bite, however his king ordered him to attack--he refused and was arrested. His replacement sailed and was ambushed and his fleet lost. Yi was put back in charge.
Yi began rebuild his fleet at Chon Do island, when he got 12 ships he went looking for the Japanese fleet. At Myongnyang he found a convoy escorted by 133 warships sinking 30 of them. In japan Totomi Hideyoshi had died in september of 1598 and the Japanese withdrew to Pusan sail to Japan. Yi attacked the fleet of 400 ships near Noryang and destroyed it and ended the war. But yi did not live to see it. Struck by a musketshot early in the battle, he commanded till the end refusing aid before dying.
Yi is a national hero in Korea and patron of the South Korean navy.
The Ima Jin war of 1592-1598 between Korean and Japan led to the rise of a remarkable man and his brainchild. Yi Sun-Sin and the turtleship. Yi was born in 1545 and began a military life in 1576. When war broke out he was commanding the Cholla squadron of the korean navy. A japanese fleet of over 700 warships escorted a 200,000 samurai invasion force. Toyotomi Hideyoshi of japan angry at Ming China demanded passage thru Korea to strike China. When Korea declined, the Japanese invaded. The Korean army was no match for the veteran samurai ,who swiftly seized the capital and moved north. Even a token Ming force sent to aid them couldn't slow the Japanese down. Only lack of control of the sea prevented Japanese consolidation of their gains.
In 1592 Yi had foresaw war with Japan, either supporting their Ming ally or a direct Japanese invasion. He began working on a project--the turtleship. The turtleship was not new, it had been used as early as 1413 by Korea. The early vessals had re-enforced wood planking and no cannon. Yi simply brought them up to date. The first ships were completed just 2 days before the invasion.
Kobukion or Turtleship
@ 120 feet long
@ 26 feet wide
@ 20 feet high
16 oars- 8 per side with 4 rowers each
2 masts-removable
armour plates covering the topside with spikes scattered all around to prevent boarding
cannon--reports conflict, most have @ 15 while there talk of up to 40 on later models.
The Turtle head has a cannon to either side and 1 below it. The head itself has 2 tubes able to shot out chemicals. The first is an asian version of greek fire, the second a sulfuric acid cloud that caused blindness and asphyxintion. The ship while heavy was suprisingly fast for its size. It had a crew of 80 rowers and sailors plus 45 soldiers.
In may of 1592 Yi attacked the main Japanese fleet at Okpo bay, outnumbered 800-80, the turtleships sunk 30 japanese warships with no loses. The next day at Sach-on Yi scored another victory against heavy odds. At Hasan Island in july he sunk 119 japanese ships. Yi liked to used an inverted V formation, caughting the Japanese in the V and a crossfire. By this third victory Japanese crews took to beaching their ships at the site of the turtleships and fleeing inland!! By now lack of control of the sea had forced the Japanese to retreat back to the lower half of Korea. Yi decided to raid their main base at Pusan. He sent fireships into the harbor, scattering the 500 ships gathered there. He then hunted down and sunk 250 of them.
By 1597 the Japanese resorted to a spy to defeat Yi. They " leaked " word of a convoy just waiting to be ambushed and made sure Yi heard of it. But Yi seeing the charts of the area and words from his own spies refused to bite, however his king ordered him to attack--he refused and was arrested. His replacement sailed and was ambushed and his fleet lost. Yi was put back in charge.
Yi began rebuild his fleet at Chon Do island, when he got 12 ships he went looking for the Japanese fleet. At Myongnyang he found a convoy escorted by 133 warships sinking 30 of them. In japan Totomi Hideyoshi had died in september of 1598 and the Japanese withdrew to Pusan sail to Japan. Yi attacked the fleet of 400 ships near Noryang and destroyed it and ended the war. But yi did not live to see it. Struck by a musketshot early in the battle, he commanded till the end refusing aid before dying.
Yi is a national hero in Korea and patron of the South Korean navy.
.
, Yoon Young Soo (윤영수
