However, the choppy seas disorient the Japanese and they begin colliding into one another, several ships sinking in the process. The Japanese responded with volley after volley of musket fire, charging forth in hopes of bursting straight through. In the first phase of the battle, the current flowed north, so Yi positioned his lone flagship north of the opening and engaged with cannon fire. However, they were woefully unprepared for its mighty turbulence and Yi’s masterful maneuvers. Kurushima was familiar with the power of the water flow and hoped to use it as a speed boost for his ships to smash through the Korean fleet and quickly reach their northern destination. For the Japanese fleet commander Kurushima Michifusa, the strait was indeed a tempting prospect. Yi hoped to lure the Japanese force into the straight and canalize them in a choke point. The straight was known for having extremely powerful currents, but it also manifested a very peculiar natural phenomenon that Yi would use to his advantage: every 3 hours, the flow of the straight actually changes direction. Yi was facing a crisis unlike anything he had encountered before, but he had one last saving grace to gamble on that would turn the tide of the war, quite literally in this case.Īdmiral Yi chose to make his last stand at the strait of Mingyeong. Unfortunately, all of the turtle ships had been squandered and destroyed in the previous Chilchonryang battle. The difference in durability also meant that the Koreans could employ much heavier cannons in far greater numbers, allowing for greater standoff distance.īeyond this, the real trump card in the Korean arsenal was the famous Geobukseon or “Turtle ship”, a hulking battleship with cannon ports on all sides, massive plates of armor adorned with spikes covering its deck, and a terrifying iron dragon head piece at front that housed a large cannon and spewed forth concealing smoke, while also serving as the impact point for the ship as a giant battering ram. They were designed to capitalize on swift travel on the open sea, but could not maneuver nearly as well as the Korean ships and were far more vulnerable to cannon fire. In comparison, the long Japanese vessels constructed of cedar and fir were far lighter. Korean naval vessels at the time had an advantage over the Japanese warships thanks to their stout oak and pine wood hulls that yielded incredibly durable vessels. Yi was no stranger to facing overwhelming odds, and wisely capitalized on the technological superiority his Navy possessed.
The film begins with the Admiral making his plans and consolidating his troops for the oncoming battle, but many of the Korean soldiers are demoralized by the previous crushing defeat at the Battle of Chilchonryang, now terrified by the sheer numbers and ruthlessness of the Japanese. However, as the second invasion campaign began and the Korean fleets were decimated by superior numbers and inept leadership, King Seonjo quickly reinstates Admiral Yi so that he might somehow stop the advance. At one point thanks to the manipulations of a Japanese double agent, Yi was arrested, stripped of rank, and tortured nearly to the point of death. Yi-Sun Sin was a brilliant tactician and fierce warrior, but even he could not fully defeat the infighting, treachery, and incompetence of his country’s own squabbling politicians and fellow high ranking military officials. Standing in their way was the was naval forces of the Joseon dynasty, led by the legendary commander Admiral Yi-Sun Sin.
The second campaign was initiated in 1597, with Japanese forces bent on capturing the capital that is now known as Seoul. The first Invasion campaign years earlier led to a shaky truce, but much of Korea was occupied and put under harsh subjugation. Japanese forces under the rule of the great Daimyo/Samurai warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi were bent on domination of China and Korea. Roaring Currents is an account of the Battle of Myeongnyang that took place in October of 1597. One of my recent favorites is the historical drama The Admiral: Roaring Currents, which recounts one of the most spectacular victories in the history of naval warfare. I have a particular fondness for Korean cinema, with their mix of existential dread, high visceral action, and cultural idiosyncrasies woven into their narratives that yield stories unlike anything else in the world. I’ve long had a love affair with foreign film, from my days of watching old bootleg VHS Kung-Fu movies to my explorations into European and Asian art house cinema during my travels abroad in the service.