Battle of Sacheon

Also called: First appearance of the turtle ship

Yi Sun-sin’s fleet destroyed 13 Japanese ships at Sacheon. The turtle ship fought for the first time, and Yi was shot in the shoulder.

After Okpo, Yi Sun-sin sailed out again and on the 29th of the fifth month attacked Japanese ships moored at Sacheon. With the tide too low to go in, he feigned retreat to draw them into open water, then surrounded and destroyed all 13.

The turtle ship led the attack for the first time: a panokseon roofed over and studded with iron spikes so the enemy could not board, firing cannon from its dragon head and ports on every side as it drove into the enemy line. Yi was hit in the left shoulder but kept it secret until the fighting ended. Victories at Dangpo, Danghangpo and Yulpo followed on the same sortie.