Yi Sun-sin

Yi Sun-sin, who lived from 1545 to 1598, was a Korean admiral and general of the Joseon dynasty remembered as one of history's greatest naval commanders for his undefeated record during the Imjin War. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched Japan's invasion of Korea in 1592, Yi commanded the Joseon navy against a much larger and better equipped Japanese fleet despite having never previously commanded a naval battle, and he went on to win at least twenty three engagements without a single defeat. His most celebrated victory came at the 1597 Battle of Myeongnyang, where he led just thirteen ships to defeat a Japanese fleet reported at more than three hundred vessels by exploiting local tidal currents and terrain. He is also credited with developing the geobukseon, or turtle ship, an armored warship with a dragon shaped, smoke emitting figurehead and iron spiked decking meant to prevent enemy boarding, along with multiple gun ports, innovations that gave the Korean navy a significant technological edge. Yi was killed by a gunshot at the Battle of Noryang in 1598, still undefeated, and his wartime diary, the Nanjung Ilgi, is now part of UNESCO's Memory of the World register; he is honored today in Korea as a national hero.