5 – Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545 – 1598)
Yi Sun-sin was born in Seoul in 1545 and is arguably the greatest admiral in history. He is a Korean national hero and helped repel the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. He won all 23 naval battles he fought and was hugely outnumbered in the vast majority of cases. Yi became a military officer in 1576 and served at several army and navy posts although he was dismissed twice after being on the wrong end of false accusations by jealous colleagues.
Yi became commander of the Left Cholla province’s naval forces in 1591 and developed the famed ‘turtle ship’ which is believed to be the first ironclad battleship ever created. The upper deck of the ship featured armored plates to protect the men and spikes to hurt the enemy. There was a dragon head on the bow which fired a cannon and the ship even emitted smoke to hide its location. It was also possible to fire cannon and guns from the sides and stern of the turtle ship.
While the rest of the Korean military was unprepared for the Japanese invasion of 1592, Yi was ready and quickly enjoyed victories on the south coast which cut off enemy supply lines. It was the Year of Four Campaigns for Yi where he won at least 15 battles and sank hundreds of Japanese ships. He was given command of the nation’s fleet in 1593, but peace with the Japanese followed soon after.
Negotiations broke down in 1596 and the war recommenced. In 1597, Yi was relieved of command for refusing to follow what he believed was a dangerous order. He was tortured almost to death and was only spared because of his previous record. Yi was demoted to the rank of common infantry officer but was recalled when the Japanese threatened Korea once again and won a major victory at the Battle of Chilchonryang.
It was their only naval victory, and when Yi returned, he produced a miraculous feat at the Battle of Myeongyang in 1598. He commanded just 13 ships, none of which were his famed turtle ships and faced over 300 Japanese vessels. Yi destroyed 31 Japanese ships with no losses on his side, and the victory demoralized the enemy fleet. The Battle of Noryang was Yi’s final fight as he was killed by a stray bullet during the conflict. His nephew, Yi Wan, wore his armor to ensure the men didn’t panic and the Korean fleet forced a retreat. Even today, Admiral Yi is seen as a naval commander without equal and a man with great intellect, strength, courage, and loyalty.