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The battle of Noryang was the last major battle of the Imjin War and was fought between the Japanese navy and the combined allied Joseon and Ming fleets. The battle took place in the early morning of December 16 (November 19 in Lunar calendar), 1598.

The allied force of Joseon and Ming Chinese ships, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin and Chen Lin, attacked and destroyed more then half of the Japanese fleet, which was commanded by Shimazu Yoshihiro, and prevented his link-up with Konishi Yukinaga. The battered survivors of Shimazu's fleet limped back to Pusan and a few days later, left for Japan. In the height of the battle, Admiral Yi was shot by a Japanese arquebus and died shortly after.

Prelude

Due to a number of set backs in both land and sea battles, the Japanese armies had been driven back to their network of fortresses, or wajō (和城), on the southeastern Korean coast. In June of 1598, the Japanese Army of the Right, about 65,000 men, had withdrawn back to the archipelago. On September 18, 1598 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Taikō who started the Imjin War, died at Fushimi castle. Hideyoshi's last orders were for the Army of the Left, which garrisoned the network of wajō, to begin their withdrawal as well. However, due to the strong presence of Joseon and Ming ships, the Army of the Left could not retreat and stayed in the relative safety of their forts.

The Army of the Left's westernmost wajō was in Sunch'on, contained 14,000 troops and commanded by Konishi Yukinaga, who was the leader of Japan's vanguard contingent during the first invasion in 1592. Admiral Yi and Chen Lin blocked Konishi from retreat, but Konishi sent many gifts to Chen in an attempt to bribe the Ming commander into opening the way. At first Chen agreed to lift the blockade, but Admiral Yi steadfastly refused to comply. Then Chen Lin suggested that the allied fleet attack smaller, more vulnerable wajō, such as the fort at Namhae. Admiral Yi refused that strategy as well due to the fact that Konishi commanded one of the largest wajō; abandoning this to fight elsewhere would allow Konishi to escape.

Thus, on December 15, about 20,000 Japanese troops from the wajō of Sach'on, Goseong and Namhae boarded 500 ships and began to mass east of the Noryang Strait in an attempt to break the allied blockade of Sunch'on. The overall commander of this relief force was Shimazu Yoshihiro, the leader of the Sach'on wajō.

The objective of the allied fleet was to prevent the link-up of Shimazu's fleet with the fleet of Konishi, then attack and defeat Shimazu's fleet in pitched combat. The objective of Shimazu's fleet was to cross the Noryang Strait, link up with Konishi and retreat to Pusan. Shimazu knew that Konishi was making efforts to cause disunity within the allied fleet and hoped that the allies would be busy elsewhere or still guarding the Sunch'on wajō and thus vulnerable to an attack on both sides.

The Battle

On December 15th, a huge Japanese fleet was massing in Sach'on bay, on the east end of the Noryang Strait. Shimazu was not sure where the allied fleet was. It might have been continuing the blockade of Konishi's wajō, on its way to attack an abandoned wajō further east or blocking their way on the western end of Noryang Strait. Admiral Yi, meanwhile, knew exactly where Shimazu was after receiving reports from scouts and local fisherman.

The Joseon fleet consisted of 82 panokseon multi-decked galleys, The Ming fleet consisted of six large war junks (most likely used as flagships) that were driven by both oars and sails, 57 lighter war galleys driven by oars alone, and two panokseon given to Chen Lin by Admiral Yi. The Ming fleet was divided into two squadrons, the larger of which was commanded by Chen Lin and the smaller by Deng Zilong. The allied fleet was well equipped with cannon, mortars, archers and arquebusiers. The Japanese had 500 ships, but a significant part of their fleet consisted of light transports. The Japanese ships were well armed with arquebuses and also had a number of captured Joseon cannons. The allied fleet was outnumbered, but made up for it with ships which, on average, had superior firepower and heavier, more sturdy construction.

The battle began at two o'clock, in the early morning of December 16th. It was, from the very begining, a desperate affair with the Japanese determined to fight through the allied fleet and the allies equally determined to keep them from breaking through and advancing. Unlike what happened in many previous battles, at Noryang the Japanese ships were able to come closer then usual and their arquebusers caused a number of casualties among the Joseon junior officers. Song Hui-rip, the captain of Admiral Yi's flag ship, was struck in the helmet by a arquebus ball and fell unconscious for a time. The ships got so close that Joseon ships were able to throw burning wood onto the decks of Japanese ships.

The Ming fleet was also having a difficult time. Heavy Japanese arquebus fire forced the Chinese sailors to keep their heads low, while the Japanese closed in. Several parties boarded Chen Lin's flagship and in the hand-to-hand fighting that ensued, Chen's own son was injured parrying a sword thrust directed at his father. Seeing Chen's ship in trouble, the Ming left wing commander Deng Zilong and two hundred of his personal guard transferred to a Joseon panokseon (one of two given to the Ming fleet by Admiral Yi) and rowed to his aid. However, several Ming ships, mistaking the panokseon for a Japanese ship, opened fire and disabled it. The stricken panokseon drifted towards the Japanese and they boarded and killed everyone on board, including Deng.

By the middle of the battle, as dawn was about to break, the allied fleet had the upper hand and half of Shimazu's ships were either sunk or captured. It was said that Shimazu Yoshihiro's flagship was sunk and that Shimazu himself was clinging to a piece of wood in the icy water while Chinese grappling hooks were trying to drag him aboard. Japanese ships came to his rescue, pulling him on board. During the course of the battle, the ships fought from the west end of the strait all the way across to the east end, almost to the open water. The Japanese were badly defeated and retreated along the south coast of Namhae Island, towards Pusan.

Admiral Yi's Death

During this time a stray arquebus bullet struck Admiral near the armpit, on his left side. Sensing that the wound was mortal, the Admiral uttered, "The battle is at its height; do not announce my death..." and with these words he died just like Admiral Horatio Nelson, at the point where victory was assured, in the height of the battle and in the last naval battle of the war.

Only three people witnessed his death: Yi Hoe, Admiral Yi's eldest son, Yi Wan, his nephew, and Kumi, an attendant girl. Admiral Yi's son and nephew struggled to regain their composure and carried the Admiral's body into his cabin before others could notice. For the remainder of the battle, Yi Wan wore his uncle's armor and continued to beat the war drum to let the rest of the fleet know that the Admiral's flagship was still in the fight.

Chen's ship was again in trouble and Yi's flagship rowed to his rescue. After fighing off several Japanese ships, the battle died down and the allies were in the open water, just past the east end of Noryang Strait. Chen Lin called for Yi to thank him for coming to his aid. He was met by Yi Wan who announced that his uncle was dead. It is said that Chen himself was so shocked that he fell to the ground three times, beating his chest and crying. News of Admiral Yi's death spread quickly throughout the allied fleet and both Joseon and Ming sailors and fighting men wailed in grief.

Aftermath

Out of 500 Japanese ships under Shimazu's command, an estimated 150 to 200 were able to make it back to Pusan Harbor. Konishi Yukinaga left his fortress on the 16th of December and his men were able to retreat by sailing through the southern end of Namhae Island, bypassing both the Noryang Strait and the battle. Although he knew the battle was raging, he made no effort to help Shimazu. All the Japanese fortresses were now abandoned and Ming and Joseon ground forces moved up to capture them, claim abandoned supplies and round-up stragglers. Konishi, Shimazu, Katō Kiyomasa and other Japanese generals of the Left Army congregated in Pusan and withdrew to Japan on December 21st. The last ships of the Left Army sailed to Japan on 24th of December, finally bringing an end to the seven year long conflict.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin's body was brought back to his hometown in Asan to be buried next to his father, Yi Chong (in accordance to Korean tradition). He was honored in all corners of the Joseon kingdom. The court gave him the posthumous rank of Minister of the Right. Shrines, both official and unofficial, were constructed in his honor all throughout the land. In 1643, Admiral Yi was given the title of Chungmugong, "Minister of Loyal Valor."

Chen Lin would attend Admiral Yi's funeral to give a lengthy and sincere eulogy. He would then return to Ming China to receive the highest military honors to be bestowed on any Ming commander during the war.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• Joseon Dynasty
• Yi Sun-sin
• Battle of Myeongnyang
• Siege of Jinju (1592)
• Battle of Trafalgar
• Turtle Ship
• Panokseon

References

1. 'War history of Japan: Chousen-eki'(1924). Staff headquarters of Imperial Japanese army. ISBN 4-19-890265-8

• Choi Byung-hyon (translated by) 2002 The Book of Corrections: Reflections on the National Crisis during the Japanese Invasion of Korea, 1592-1598. Insitute of East Asian Studies: University of California, Berkeley.
• Ha, Tae-hung (translated by) 1979 Imjin Changch'o: Admiral Yi Sun-Sin's Memorials to Court. Republic of Korea: Yonsei University Press.
• Hawley, Samuel 2005 The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China. Republic of Korea and U.S.A.: Co-Published by The Royal Asiatic Society and The Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
• Turnbull, Stephen 2002 Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korean War. Great Britain: Cassell & Co.
• Sohn, Pow Key (edited by) 1977 Nanjung Ilgi: War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin. Republic of Korea: Yonsei University Press.

• 1598
• Naval battles of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)
• Naval battles involving China