Battle of Noryang Point
From Freepedia
| Battle of Noryang Point | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict: Seven-Year War | |||
| Date: 19 November 1598* (Lunar Calendar) | |||
| Place: Noryang Straits, off the coast of Namhae Island | |||
| Outcome: Decisive Korean victory | |||
| Combatants | |||
| Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi | Korean navy | ||
| Commanders | |||
| Shimazu Yoshihiro | Yi Sun-sin† Chen Lin | ||
| Strength | |||
| 500 ships | 80 Korean ships & 63 Chinese ships | ||
| Casualties | |||
| 300 ships | Unknown, but a significantly smaller number of casualties, including Admiral Yi Sun-Sin | ||
| |||
| Battle of Noryang Point | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 노량대첩 |
| Hanja: | 露梁大捷 |
| Revised Romanization: | Noryang Daejeop |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Noryang Daejŏp |
The Battle of Noryang Point, also known as the Battle of Noryang or Noryang Sea or Noryang Strait, occurred on November 19,1598 between the Korean and Japanese navies. It was the final battle of the Seven Year War. Japanese attempted to retreat to Japan after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Korean navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun Sin chased the Japanese fleet, and destroyed much of Japanese Fleet, leaving only smaller number to escape. However, Admiral Yi suffered a gunshot wound during the battle and died shortly thereafter, after uttering his famous statement, The battle is still raging. Shield my body and do not proclaim my death.
The Battle
The Japanese had prepared over 500 ships for their final withdrawal from Korea and had hoped for a peaceful return to their home territory on the Tsushima Islands. Having learned of their intentions and their location, Admiral Yi, along with his Chinese counterparts, resolved to defeat the Japanese fleet once and for all, hoping that through this, the Japanese would never attack Korea again.
The battle opened while the Japanese were still loading troops. The small fleet of Chinese and Korean ships engaged the first Japanese ships just outside the harbor. After the first shocks, the Japanese stopped loading their troops and began to try to expel the attack. However, after learning that Admiral Yi was commanding the Korean fleet, the Japanese commanders lost all courage and started to leave the harbor, hoping to avoid any conflict. However, since Admiral Yi commanded most of the exits, a brutal exchange did occur. At the height of the battle, Admiral Yi was shot by a stray musket shot, after which he was hidden to avoid letting the Japanese know that he had died. While the majority of the Japanese fleet was sunk at the battle, a great number of Japanese soldiers still managed to return to Tsushima, unhindered in part because of Admiral Yi's death.
