Battle of Myeongnyang
In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon Kingdom's navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean Peninsula.
| Battle of Myeongnyang | |||||||
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| Part of the Imjin War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Tōdō Takatora (WIA) Katō Yoshiaki Kurushima Michifusa † Wakizaka Yasuharu Mōri Takamasa Kan Michinaga Kuki Yoshitaka |
Yi Sun-sin Kim Eok-chu Kim Ung-ham An Wi Song Yeo-jong Bae Heung-rip | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 133-330 warships |
13 warships 32 scouting ships (Yi's report, likely did not participate in combat) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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31 ships rammed open: 314 More than 30 ships destroyed (Hawley) About 30 ships destroyed (Lewis): 133 Half the men in the forward ships (Tōdō clan memoirs). Half of the Japanese (prisoner's testimony) |
No ships lost : 315 At least 2 killed and 3 wounded aboard Yi Sun-sin's flagship (Yi's record): 315 At least 8 drowned from An Wi's ship | ||||||
| Battle of Myeongnyang | |
| Hangul | 명량대첩 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 鳴梁大捷 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongnyang Daecheop |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngnyang Taech'ŏp |
With only 13 ships remaining from Admiral Won Gyun's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chilchonryang, Admiral Yi held the strait as a "last stand" battle against the Japanese navy, who were sailing to support their land army's advance towards the Joseon capital of Hanyang (modern-day Seoul).
The actual numeric strength of the Japanese fleet that Admiral Yi fought is unclear; Korean sources indicate 120 to 133 ships participated in combat, with an unknown number sitting out, up to 330 in total.: 312 Regardless of the size of the Japanese fleet, all sources indicate that the Japanese ships heavily outnumbered the Korean ships, by at least a ten-to-one ratio.: 302
In total 31 Japanese warships were sunk or crippled during the battle. Tōdō Takatora, one of the commanders of the Japanese navy, was wounded during the battle and many others were killed. The result overall was a humiliating naval defeat for the Japanese. Even after the Joseon victory, however, the Joseon navy was still outnumbered by remaining Japanese forces, so Admiral Yi withdrew to the Yellow Sea to resupply his fleet and have more space for a mobile defense. After the Korean navy withdrew, the Japanese navy made an incursion into the western coast of Korea, near some islands in Yeonggwang County.
Given the disparity in numbers of ships, the naval battle is regarded as one of the most tactically brilliant victories in the history of warfare.