Renaissance · East Asia · War
1597
Yi Sun-sin Wins at Myeongnyang
October 26, 1597
With only thirteen remaining Korean ships, Admiral Yi Sun-sin ambushed a Japanese fleet of more than a hundred in the narrow straits of Myeongnyang. Tidal currents threw the Japanese vessels into confusion while Korean cannons picked them off. It was one of history's most lopsided naval victories. Yi's tactical genius in using tidal currents to neutralize Japanese numbers has been studied by naval strategists ever since.