[K-SCIENCE] Restored 'Turtle Ship'

This is a replica of the "Turtle Ship" invented by Korea's legendary naval commander Admiral Yi Sun-Sin, which has recently been restored.

On the bow of the vessel was mounted a dragon head which is the symbol of the Turtle Ship.

The restored ship shows an artillery gun, called "Hyeonja-chongtong" in Korean, was installed inside the dragon head, unleashing a mass volley of cannonballs made of steel to repel the enemy.

Underneath the tail part were two cannons.

Another two cannons were placed under the ship's bow and fired large-size, rocket-type arrows.

A cross-shaped passage was made on the top of the warship, which was covered with hexagonal plates armed with protruded sharp iron spikes.

The restorers said they have identified the exact locations of the cannons on the ship, based on Admiral Yi's own records and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

[Chae Yeon-Suk, professor/restorer of University of Science & Technology]
"Two units of Cheonja Chongtong (a large-size artillery gun) were installed on the ship's first floor as they played the most important role in destroying enemy vessels.

The restorers also estimated that the Turtle Ship was about 20-meter long, armed with a total of 19 cannons.