During the Joseon Dynasty in the early 15th century, the Royal Korean Navy developed a ship, which was used to hold off the massive amounts of attacks from the Japanese and Chinese navys. Now I could get into the details of its size, but that would be boring, all you need to know is that it was a floating tank. What was unique about this ship was its ability to penetrate enemy fleets, and hold off a few ships all at once, and still be intact. Normally where the deck would be, was instead an enclosed "shell" with steel plates, and attached to them were spikes. The spikes were used so that they would bleed any Japanese or Chinese warrior from jumping ships to attack the Turtle. Although the ship was bulky, it was fast, and could ram into an enemy ship at high speeds. Which is where the second most outstanding feature comes into play. On the front of the ship was a dragon's head, which was used as a battering ram, but also had a very lethal weapon with it. Chemical warfare! A lethal dose of sulfur and salt peter gas was set loose onto the enemys ship. If there was no wind during the attack, the gas would interfere with the enemy's ability to move about and coordinate themselves properly, as they tried to approach the ship once it slammed into their side.
I think to get a topic going, I want to ask everyone if they have come across any other ship similar to the Korean Turtle ship, in their research? Are there any similarities to the modern naval boats of today?
I saw a special on this ship two nights ago on the History Channel. Anybody who is interested, keep watching...they will probably show it again.
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by General Forestry on Thu May 29, 2008 8:11 pm 
