Turtle Ship

The Turtle Ship (also known as Geobukseon or Kobukson by its Korean name)[거북선] was a type of large warship belonging to the Panokseon class in Korea that was used by the Royal Korean Navy during the Joseon Dynasty from the early 15th century up until the 19th century.

Over the cause of time, there were many versions of the Turtle ship. Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin is credited with designing and building the craft known today. His turtle ships were equipped with at least five different types of cannon. The turtle ship's most distinguishable feature was a fully covered deck that was shielded to deflect cannon fire with iron spikes to discourage enemy men from attempting to board the ship.

Turtle ships are famous for participating in numerous victories against Japanese naval forces that supported Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attempts to conquer Korea from 1592-1598, inflicting heavy losses.

Turtle Ship in Days of Infamy
After the US Navy sunk the Akagi and the Shokaku, Lt. Saburo Shindo was in such despair at the humiliating defeat, that he likened it to the disasters that the Imperial Japanese Navy suffered against the Korean Turtle ships at the end of the 16th Century.