The Battle of Sacheon was a naval engagement on May 29, 1592 (Gregorian: July 8, 1592) during the Imjin War (1592–98). It occurred at Sacheon where Yi Sunsin's fleet managed to destroy 13 large Japanese ships.[1] It was the first battle of Admiral Yi's 2nd Campaign in the Imjin War, between Japan and Korea, when the turtle ship was first used.
Yi Sunsin received news from Won Gyun that the Japanese were already at Sacheon and the surrounding area. Fearing that they were planning an attack on Yeosu, Yi Sunsin set sail with 26 warships on May 29 (Gregorian: July 8). He met up with Won Gyun at Noryang and ordered him to mop up stragglers after the battle and then approached Sacheon.[1]
Situation at Sacheonedit
Admiral Yi scrutinized the surrounding area. A large cliff overlooked the city and Japanese soldiers seemed to move about everywhere in the city. Twelve very large Japanese warships were anchored in the harbor, along with numerous other smaller ships. Admiral Yi knew that he could not attack the Japanese in a spearhead assault because he knew that the Japanese could direct arquebus fire down on the Koreans from the top of the cliffs.
Admiral Yi wanted to fight the Japanese in the sea where there was more room to maneuver. Hoping to draw the Japanese into open waters, he turned his battleships around and withdrew. Apparently, the Japanese commander had been observing the Korean movements and quickly ordered his captains to take a portion of the fleet anchored at Sacheon and attack the Koreans when he saw them withdraw. Taking the bait, the Japanese pursued the Koreans.
The turtle shipedit
The Battle of Sacheon was the first battle during which Admiral Yi deployed the turtle ship. By the time the Koreans and the Japanese were out on the open sea, it was nearly dark. Nonetheless, Admiral Yi had the turtle ship and his other vessels turn around quickly and fire upon the Japanese. Admiral Yi had his men unleash a hail of cannonballs and fire arrows. This had an immediate effect on the enemy warships, and the Japanese ships started taking heavy damage.
The fierce and sudden Korean attack shocked the Japanese. But unlike their previous poor performance at the Battle of Okpo, the Japanese soldiers fought bravely and returned fire with their arquebuses in a timely manner. Unfortunately for the Japanese, they did not have a chance to board the Korean ships because of concentrated Korean cannon fire. Also, the turtle ship was impossible to board anyway due to iron spikes on its roof. Then, the Japanese began to panic when the turtle ship smashed into Japanese lines, firing in every direction.
It was in the heat of the battle when the course of Korea's history nearly changed; Admiral Yi was shot by a Japanese arquebusier. The Korean captains were shocked. However, the bullet only punctured the skin of his left arm leaving Admiral Yi with a very minor injury.[2]
Aftermathedit
In a couple of hours, every single Japanese warship that had fought was destroyed.[2] Yi Sunsin destroyed all the large Japanese ships and left a few small enemy ships behind hoping to lure back the Japanese who had fled.[2] A few survivors struggled ashore. The Battle of Sacheon caused the Japanese command at Busan some anxiety, as the supply ships that sailed from Japan might be in danger.
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External linksedit
by Jonathan Webb
October 30, 2023
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The Battle of Sacheon was a naval engagement on May 29 1592 Gregorian July 8 1592 during the Imjin War 1592 98 It occurred at Sacheon where Yi Sunsin s fleet managed to destroy 13 large Japanese ships 1 It was the first battle of Admiral Yi s 2nd Campaign in the Imjin War between Japan and Korea when the turtle ship was first used Battle of Sacheon 1592 Part of Imjin WarDateJuly 8 1592 Gregorian Calendar May 29 1592 Lunar Calendar LocationSacheon Korea35 0 13 7 N 128 3 51 1 E 35 003806 N 128 064194 E 35 003806 128 064194ResultKorean victoryBelligerentsJapanese FleetJoseonCommanders and leadersKurushima Michiyuki ja Yi Sun shin WIA Won GyunStrength13 ships 1 25 ships 1 turtle ship 26 total warships 1 Casualties and lossesall 13 ships destroyed 2 Lt Na Dae yong and Admiral Yi woundedclass notpageimage Location within South KoreaShow map of South KoreaBattle of Sacheon 1592 Korea Show map of Korea Contents 1 Prelude 2 Situation at Sacheon 3 The turtle ship 4 Aftermath 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksPrelude editYi Sunsin received news from Won Gyun that the Japanese were already at Sacheon and the surrounding area Fearing that they were planning an attack on Yeosu Yi Sunsin set sail with 26 warships on May 29 Gregorian July 8 He met up with Won Gyun at Noryang and ordered him to mop up stragglers after the battle and then approached Sacheon 1 Situation at Sacheon editAdmiral Yi scrutinized the surrounding area A large cliff overlooked the city and Japanese soldiers seemed to move about everywhere in the city Twelve very large Japanese warships were anchored in the harbor along with numerous other smaller ships Admiral Yi knew that he could not attack the Japanese in a spearhead assault because he knew that the Japanese could direct arquebus fire down on the Koreans from the top of the cliffs Admiral Yi wanted to fight the Japanese in the sea where there was more room to maneuver Hoping to draw the Japanese into open waters he turned his battleships around and withdrew Apparently the Japanese commander had been observing the Korean movements and quickly ordered his captains to take a portion of the fleet anchored at Sacheon and attack the Koreans when he saw them withdraw Taking the bait the Japanese pursued the Koreans The turtle ship editThe Battle of Sacheon was the first battle during which Admiral Yi deployed the turtle ship By the time the Koreans and the Japanese were out on the open sea it was nearly dark Nonetheless Admiral Yi had the turtle ship and his other vessels turn around quickly and fire upon the Japanese Admiral Yi had his men unleash a hail of cannonballs and fire arrows This had an immediate effect on the enemy warships and the Japanese ships started taking heavy damage The fierce and sudden Korean attack shocked the Japanese But unlike their previous poor performance at the Battle of Okpo the Japanese soldiers fought bravely and returned fire with their arquebuses in a timely manner Unfortunately for the Japanese they did not have a chance to board the Korean ships because of concentrated Korean cannon fire Also the turtle ship was impossible to board anyway due to iron spikes on its roof Then the Japanese began to panic when the turtle ship smashed into Japanese lines firing in every direction It was in the heat of the battle when the course of Korea s history nearly changed Admiral Yi was shot by a Japanese arquebusier The Korean captains were shocked However the bullet only punctured the skin of his left arm leaving Admiral Yi with a very minor injury 2 Aftermath editIn a couple of hours every single Japanese warship that had fought was destroyed 2 Yi Sunsin destroyed all the large Japanese ships and left a few small enemy ships behind hoping to lure back the Japanese who had fled 2 A few survivors struggled ashore The Battle of Sacheon caused the Japanese command at Busan some anxiety as the supply ships that sailed from Japan might be in danger See also editBattle of Okpo List of naval battles Military history of Korea Military history of Japan History of KoreaReferences edit a b c d Hawley 2005 p 200 a b c d Hawley 2005 p 204 Bibliography editAlagappa Muthiah 2003 Asian Security Order Instrumental and Normative Features Stanford University Press ISBN 0 8047 4629 X Arano Yasunori 2005 The Formation of a Japanocentric World Order International Journal of Asian Studies Brown Delmer M May 1948 The Impact of Firearms on Japanese Warfare 1543 1598 The Far Eastern Quarterly Association for Asian Studies 7 3 236 53 doi 10 2307 2048846 JSTOR 2048846 S2CID 162924328 Eikenberry Karl W 1988 The Imjin War Military Review 68 2 74 82 Ha Tae hung Sohn Pow key 1977 Nanjung Ilgi War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun sin Yonsei University Press ISBN 89 7141 018 3 Haboush JaHyun Kim 2016 The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation Hawley Samuel 2005 The Imjin War The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch UC Berkeley Press ISBN 89 954424 2 5 unreliable source Jang Pyun soon 1998 Noon eu ro Bo nen Han gook yauk sa 5 Gor yeo Si dae 눈으로 보는 한국역사 5 고려시대 Park Doo ui Bae Keum ram Yi Sang mi Kim Ho hyun Kim Pyung sook et al Joog ang Gyo yook yaun goo won 1998 10 30 Seoul Korea Kim Ki chung Fall 1999 Resistance Abduction and Survival The Documentary Literature of the Imjin War 1592 8 Korean Culture 20 3 20 29 Kim Yung sik 1998 Problems and Possibilities in the Study of the History of Korean Science Osiris 2nd Series 13 48 79 doi 10 1086 649280 JSTOR 301878 S2CID 143724260 桑田忠親 Kuwata Tadachika ed 舊參謀本部編纂 Kyu Sanbo Honbu 朝鮮の役 Chousen no Eki 日本の戰史 Nihon no Senshi Vol 5 1965 Neves Jaime Ramalhete 1994 The Portuguese in the Im Jim War Review of Culture 18 20 24 Niderost Eric June 2001 Turtleboat Destiny The Imjin War and Yi Sun Shin Military Heritage 2 6 50 59 89 Niderost Eric January 2002 The Miracle at Myongnyang 1597 Osprey Military Journal 4 1 44 50 Park Yune hee 1973 Admiral Yi Sun shin and His Turtleboat Armada A Comprehensive Account of the Resistance of Korea to the 16th Century Japanese Invasion Shinsaeng Press Rockstein Edward D 1993 Strategic And Operational Aspects of Japan s Invasions of Korea 1592 1598 1993 6 18 Naval War College Sadler A L June 1937 The Naval Campaign in the Korean War of Hideyoshi 1592 1598 Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan Second Series 14 179 208 Sansom George 1961 A History of Japan 1334 1615 Stanford University Press ISBN 0 8047 0525 9 Sohn Pow key April June 1959 Early Korean Painting Journal of the American Oriental Society 79 2 96 103 doi 10 2307 595851 JSTOR 595851 Stramigioli Giuliana December 1954 Hideyoshi s Expansionist Policy on the Asiatic Mainland Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan Third Series 3 74 116 Strauss Barry Summer 2005 Korea s Legendary Admiral MHQ The Quarterly Journal of Military History 17 4 52 61 Swope Kenneth M 2006 Beyond Turtleboats Siege Accounts from Hideyoshi s Second Invasion of Korea 1597 1598 Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies Academy of East Asian Studies 6 2 177 206 Swope Kenneth M 2005 Crouching Tigers Secret Weapons Military Technology Employed During the Sino Japanese Korean War 1592 1598 The Journal of Military History 69 11 42 doi 10 1353 jmh 2005 0059 S2CID 159829515 Swope Kenneth M December 2002 Deceit Disguise and Dependence China Japan and the Future of the Tributary System 1592 1596 The International History Review 24 4 757 1008 doi 10 1080 07075332 2002 9640980 S2CID 154827808 Swope Kenneth M 2009 A Dragon s Head and a Serpent s Tail Ming China and the First Great East Asian War 1592 1598 University of Oklahoma Press Turnbull Stephen 2002 Samurai Invasion Japan s Korean War 1592 98 Cassell amp Co ISBN 0 304 35948 3 Turnbull Stephen 2008 The Samurai Invasion of Korea 1592 98 Osprey Publishing Ltd Turnbull Stephen 1998 The Samurai Sourcebook Cassell amp Co ISBN 1 85409 523 4 Villiers John 1980 SILK and Silver Macau Manila and Trade in the China Seas in the Sixteenth Century A lecture delivered to the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society at the Hong Kong Club 10 June 1980 The HKUL Digital Initiatives Yi Min woong 2004 Imjin Wae ran Haejeonsa The Naval Battles of the Imjin War 임진왜란 해전사 Chongoram Media 청어람미디어 ISBN 89 89722 49 7External links editBattle of Sacheon animated battle map by Jonathan Webb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Sacheon 1592 amp oldid 1182305115, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
