⑰ Why Did the Turtle Ship Fight for Only Three Months? (Part 3)

In this post, I want to talk about Admiral Yi's third sortie. On this sortie, he fought the battles you all know well: the Battle of Hansan Island and the Battle of Angolpo.

Admiral Yi's Third Sortie -- the Report “Gyeonnaeryang pawoe byeongjang”

The Battle of Hansan Island

On the evening of July 7, at Dangpo in Goseong. While the fleet was gathering firewood and water, a herdsman named Kim Cheon-son, who had taken refuge in the hills, came running down in a hurry.

He brought word that some seventy Japanese ships were anchored at Gyeonnaeryang. Admiral Yi gave the order to his officers at once.

The next morning, the fleet set out for Gyeonnaeryang. Thirty-six large ships, twenty-four medium ships, and thirteen small ships -- seventy-three in all -- stood in formation.

But Gyeonnaeryang's terrain was very narrow, and thick with reefs. There was a real danger of the panokseon warships colliding with each other, making it a poor place to fight. Worse, if the enemy's position turned unfavorable, they could simply escape onto land from there.

Admiral Yi chose somewhere else -- the open waters off Hansan Island. There was nowhere to swim to in any direction, and even reaching land would mean only starving to death.

A manual of the crane-wing formation (from the Usuyeong Jeonjindocheop)

To draw the Japanese ships out into the waters off Hansan Island, Admiral Yi staged a mock skirmish with a handful of panokseon warships and then a feigned retreat. The Japanese ships raised their sails all at once and gave chase; the Joseon navy pretended to flee all the way out to the waters off Hansan Island. The Japanese followed right along.

The Turtle Ship's Role

As the enemy charged out of Gyeonnaeryang into the waters off Hansan Island, the Joseon navy suddenly wheeled around to face the enemy fleet -- the beginning of the famous crane-wing formation. And while the fleet was turning and forming up into that crane-wing shape, it was very likely the turtle ship that held off the charging enemy and bought the time needed to complete it.

And the turtle ship didn't just buy time -- by smashing into the leading edge of the charging enemy, it likely blocked their advance and closed the gap between the ships in front and those following behind, creating a tight cluster that made an easy target for the panokseon's cannon fire.

The enemy, thrown into panic by the turtle ship that had suddenly appeared before them, likely had no idea they had already sailed straight into the Joseon panokseons' kill zone.

The result was a historic, crushing victory for the Joseon navy.

For more on the outcome of the Battle of Hansan Island, please see the post I've already written on it.

👉 ⑨ The Story of Wakizaka Yasuharu

The fleet, having fought until nightfall, made camp and rested that night inside Gyeonnaeryang's harbor.

The Battle of Angolpo

Two days after the Battle of Hansan Island, on July 10, at Angolpo. The dispatch preserves a detailed account of that day.

Arriving at Angolpo, Admiral Yi found twenty-one large Japanese ships, fifteen medium ships, and six small ships -- forty-two in all -- anchored there. Among them, two large ships fitted with towers floated near the mouth of the harbor.

The harbor was narrow and shallow, and the terrain meant that when the tide went out, the sea floor would be exposed -- the panokseon warships could not easily move in and out. Attempts to lure the enemy out failed. Having already heard that all fifty-nine of their ships had been smashed and burned at Hansan Island, the enemy knew their situation was hopeless, and stayed hidden out of fear.

With no other option, the various officers took turns moving in and out all day, firing a hail of cheonja, jija, and hyeonja cannon fire and arrows. The large ships with towers were finally destroyed, and the Japanese abandoned their ships and fled onto land.

As night fell and the Joseon navy briefly pulled back, the remaining Japanese gathered their dead through the night, burned the bodies, wailed in grief, and fled under cover of darkness. When the fleet returned the next dawn, most of the ships were gone; only the traces of roughly a hundred ships remained, according to the record.

On July 13, Admiral Yi's fleet returned to Yeosu, the seat of the Jeolla Left Naval Command.

From July 13 to August 23, Admiral Yi made no further sorties.

Whether the Turtle Ship Is Mentioned

Reading back through Admiral Yi's dispatch, the Gyeonnaeryang pawoe byeongjang, the word “turtle ship” does not appear anywhere in the account of the Battle of Angolpo. There is only a mention of various officers taking turns firing their cannons -- no passage singles out the turtle ship by name.

At Angolpo, just as at Yulpo, the enemy was too busy fleeing and hiding to fight.

Even though no record of the turtle ship survives from Angolpo, it was very likely there too, alongside the other panokseon warships.

👉 Next post: ⑱ Why Did the Turtle Ship Fight for Only Three Months? (Part 4)

— Momcheolhak.