At Noryang, on 16 December 1598, a combined Joseon and Ming fleet caught the Japanese relief fleet trying to rescue the garrison at Sunch'on. Admiral Yi Sun-sin was hit by a stray bullet and died. It was the last major battle of the Japanese invasions of Korea.
A relief fleet trapped
Japanese forces were ordered home after Hideyoshi died on 18 September 1598. The garrison at Sunch'on, under Konishi Yukinaga, was still blockaded by the allied fleet. On 15 December, the relief force of Shimazu Yoshihiro gathered in Sach'on Bay to break through the Noryang Strait.1
The strait
The Joseon fleet had 82 panokseon warships. The Ming contingent had six large war junks and 57 lighter vessels. The allies had almost 16,000 sailors and fighting men in all.
Yi Sun-sin was hit by a stray arquebus bullet and died shortly after. Our article on the Battle of Noryang covers the naval battle in full. › Battle of Noryang, 1598
Also on this day
1838: Battle of Blood River. A Voortrekker party under Andries Pretorius, behind a laager of linked wagons on the Ncome River, faced a far larger army of the Zulu king Dingane in today's KwaZulu-Natal.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Noryang?
It was fought in the early morning of 16 December 1598 in the Noryang Strait, off the southern coast of Korea, and ended after dawn.
Who fought at Noryang?
A combined Joseon and Ming fleet under Yi Sun-sin and Chen Lin fought the Japanese relief fleet under Shimazu Yoshihiro.
Did Yi Sun-sin survive the battle?
No. He was hit by a stray arquebus bullet during the fighting and died shortly afterwards.
Notes
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