The Turtle Ships were used in the Seven Year War (1592-1599) between Japan and Korea. Although they had existed before 1592, Admiral Yi Sun-Shin improved the ship and used it to defeat the Japanese navy in several battles. The ships, called “kobukson” by the Koreans, have been called the first armored ships in history. They were floating fortresses. Basically galleys with roofs, they resembled the ironclads of the Civil War. The roof was curved like that of a turtle and it had iron spikes on it to discourage boarding (which was the main Japanese tactic). It was believed by some to be iron-plated, although some historians argue that only the spikes were iron. A typical kobukson was 100-120 feet long, 20-30 feet wide, and 20 feet high. There was a lower deck for the 80 oarsmen (four to an oar) and another deck for the cannons which fired through portholes. There was dragon head on the front. It might have a cannon firing through its mouth. Or it could emit smoke in what would have been the first use of a smoke screen in history.
https://www.military-history.org/articles/wmd-the-turtle-ship.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_ship
– The Greatest War Stories Never Told pp. 30-31
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