A groundbreaking study revealing the effective firing range of the iconic turtle ship’s cannons has drawn significant attention from scholars. (Image courtesy of Mokpo National Maritime University)
MOKPO, Apr. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea commemorates the 479th anniversary of the birth of Admiral Yi Sun-sin on April 28, a groundbreaking study revealing the effective firing range of the iconic turtle ship’s cannons has drawn significant attention from scholars.
This discovery may help unravel the combat secrets behind Admiral Yi’s famed naval tactics.
A research team composed of current and former professors from the Naval Academy at Mokpo National Maritime University recently published their findings in the Journal of the Korea Society for Naval Science and Technology.
In the paper titled “A Study on the Effective Range and Blind Spots of Turtle Ship Cannons,” the team asserts that the effective striking range of the chongtong cannons used on turtle ships during the Imjin War against Japan was approximately 15 meters.
Professor Ko Kwang-seob, a former navy colonel who has led the Admiral Yi naval battle research team at Mokpo National Maritime University for over a decade, established a ballistic system to analyze the trajectories of the chongtong projectiles fired from turtle ships. Using a Japanese warship model, the team conducted their research.
Their findings closely align with vivid eyewitness accounts recorded in the “War Chronicle of the Korean Naval Battles” by the Japanese naval commander Toioka Jinzaemon, who participated in the Imjin War.
The chongtong cannons (Image courtesy of Mokpo National Maritime University)
The Japanese document states that three turtle ships fiercely cannonaded Japanese warships from a distance of 6 to 9 meters.
The research team explains that these findings shed light on why the turtle ships were able to penetrate deep into enemy fleets to strike their hulls directly, and why the smaller panok ships accompanying the turtle ships could simultaneously charge and attack the enemy vessels at close range.
Until now, the lack of understanding regarding the effective ranges and blind spots of the chongtong cannons against enemy ships during the Imjin War has hindered in-depth studies of Admiral Yi’s naval strategies and turtle ship tactics.
“The turtle ship was renowned as a combat vessel capable of directly striking enemy ships with various chongtong cannons at close range,” said professor Park Joo-mi from the Naval Academy, who co-authored the research.
The research team stated their intention to continue re-examining Admiral Yi’s naval tactics and turtle ship strategies based on their findings.
Mokpo Maritime University’s Admiral Yi naval battle research team has previously debunked the myth that Admiral Yi disobeyed King Seonjo’s order to engage in battle right before the Jeongyu War, through archival discoveries and academic papers.
They have also identified Anja Island (formerly Gija Island) in Sinan County as the previously unknown island base Admiral Yi utilized after his victory at the Battle of Myeongnyang, correcting historical inaccuracies about the famed admiral through field investigations and scientific evidence.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
