The Battle of the Yalu River, also called simply 'The Battle of Yalu' took place on September 17, 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Yalu River is the border between Korea and China, though the battle was actually fought at the mouth of this river, in the Korea Bay (Yellow Sea). A Japanese fleet under Admiral Sukeyuki Ito was attempting to disrupt the landing of Chinese troops protected by a fleet under Admiral Ting Ju ch'ang. Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino–Japanese War (or the Qing-Japanese War or Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)), primarily over control of Korea. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Korea Bay is located at the north of the Yellow Sea, between Liaoning Province of China and North Pyŏngan Province of North Korea. ... Flag of Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan (大日本帝国; Dai-Nippon/-Nihon Teikoku) commonly refers to Japan from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II. Politically, it covers the period from the enforced establishment of prefectures in place of feudal domains (廃藩置県; Hai-han Chi-ken) in July 14... Ting Ju chang (pinyin: Ding Ruchang) was the commander of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet during the Battle of the Yalu River in the first Sino-Japanese War. ... KIA is a three-letter abbreviation for killed in action, a term often used in military histories and narratives to count the number of casualties in a conflict, or the status of an individual. ... WIA is a three letter abbreviation meaning wounded in action. ... KIA is a three-letter abbreviation for killed in action, a term often used in military histories and narratives to count the number of casualties in a conflict, or the status of an individual. ... WIA is a three letter abbreviation meaning wounded in action. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino–Japanese War (or the Qing-Japanese War or Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)), primarily over control of Korea. ... The Yalu (Amnok) River is a river on the border between China and North Korea. ... Korea (한국/韓國/Hanguk, used by South / ì¡°ì„ /朝鮮/Joseon, used by North) is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in northern East Asia, bordering on China to the northwest and Russia to the north. ... The Korea Bay is located at the north of the Yellow Sea, between Liaoning Province of China and North Pyŏngan Province of North Korea. ... The Yellow Sea (in North and South Korea, it is also called the West Sea (strangely not disputed like East Sea) is the northern part of the East China Sea, which in turn is a part of the Pacific Ocean. ... Ting Ju chang (pinyin: Ding Ruchang) was the commander of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet during the Battle of the Yalu River in the first Sino-Japanese War. ...

The engagement raged for most of the day, and while not the first engagement of pre-dreadnought technology on a wide scale (the Battle of Foochow in 1884 between the French and Chinese predates this) there were significant lessons for naval observers to consider. This article is about a battleship as a type of warship. ... The Battle of Foochow occurred in August 1884 during the Sino-French War. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ...

Background

On paper, the Chinese had the superior ships, and included numerous ten-inch and eight-inch gun mounts. However, the Chinese had not seen fit to engage in gunnery practice in months prior, and the Chinese guncrews were somewhat unprepared for the stress of gunnery under fire. Corruption seems also to have played a role; many Chinese shells appear to have been filled with sawdust or water, some Chinese officers fled the engagement area shamefully, one vessel appears to have used its guns to store pickles, and in at least one case, a pair of 10-inch guns seem to have been hocked for cash on the black market.

At this time, the Japanese were confident in their own abilities. The Chinese, however, still had a number of foreign advisors and instructors. In particular, the German, Major von Hanneken, recently from Korea was appointed as the naval advisor to Admiral Ting Ju ch'ang. W. F. Tyler, a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserve and an Imperial Maritime Customs officer was appointed as von Hanneken's assistant. Philo McGiffin, formerly an ensign in the US Navy and an instructor at the Wei-Hai-Wei naval academy was appointed to Chen Yuen as an advisor or co-commander. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Philo Norton McGiffin (December 13, 1860, Washington, Pennsylvania - February 11, 1897, New York City) was a United States Navy officer of the late 19th century, who later served as a naval advisor in China during the First Sino-Japanese War. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Weihai (威海; pinyin: wēihǎi, also Weihaiwei) is a seaport city on the Bohai Gulf in north-east Shandong province, China. ... The Chen Yuen was a Chinese warship at the Battle of the Yalu River, which took place on 17 September 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese. ...

Prior to the battle with the Japanese, the vessels and armaments of the Chinese fleet were examined and the ships were repainted. Philo McGiffin noted, at the time, that the Chinese vessels have been painted in 'invisible grey' although contemporary photographs indicate a dark hull and a light superstructure so perhaps only the white superstructures and the buff funnels were repainted grey with the hulls remaining black. It was also noted that many of the charges were 'thirteen years old and condemned'. The thin shields that were covering the barbettes on some of the vessels were removed as these had been found to splinter when hit by shells. The Tsi Yuen's return to port after recent action with the Japanese highlighted some of these problems. A barbette is the fixed area underneath a rotating gun turret on a warship. ...

The battle

Admiral Sukeyuki Ito had his flag aboard Matsushima with the despatch vessels Saikyo (a converted liner) and Akagi (a gunboat). The Japanese Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Kabayama was on a tour of inspection and aboard the Saikyo. The rest of the main body consisted of the cruisers Chiyoda, Itsukushima, Hashidate, Fuso and Hiei. A flying squadron of Yoshino, Takachiho, Akitsushima and Naniwa led the Japanese vessels. Location of Kyoto, on the main island of Japan Kyoto (Japanese: 京都市; Kyōto-shi) is a city in Japan that has a population of 1. ... Akagi (赤城) was a Japanese gunboat that saw service as a despatch vessel in Admiral Isokuru Itos fleet at the Battle of Yalu River in 1894. ...

The Japanese advanced on the Chinese with the flying squadron leading in line astern formation with the despatch vessels off to the port of the second squadron (where the flagship was). The Chinese were in two squadrons and in line abreast with the majority of the ships in a squadron consisting of Tsi Yuen, Kuang Chia, Chih Yuen, King Yuen, Ting Yuen, Chen Yuen, Lai Yuen, Ching Yuen, Chao Yung and Yang Wei. A second squadron consisted of the Kuang Ping and Ping Yuen along with a couple of gunboats and torpedo boats. The Ting Yuen was the Chinese flagship at the Battle of the Yalu River, which took place on September 17, 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese. ... The Chen Yuen was a Chinese warship at the Battle of the Yalu River, which took place on 17 September 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese. ... Two Chinese athletes have their names romanized as Yang Wei. ...

Ting Yuen opened fire on the Japanese when the range between the vessels was about 6000 yards (5,500m). This turned out to be a disastrous (and unnecessary) salvo from the Chinese flagship. When the German Navy took the Ting Yuen out for gun trials in 1883 (Ting Yuen had been built in Germany) they noted that the main armament should not be fired on an ahead bearing. Firing on an ahead bearing resulted in the demolishing of the flying bridge and this is what happened. Admiral Ting Ju ch'ang became a casualty of the battle from the opening shot of his own vessel, along with a number of officers also present on the bridge. The Kaiserliche Marine or Imperial Navy was the German Navy created by the formation of the German Empire and existed between 1871 and 1919; it grew out of the Prussian Navy and the Norddeutsche Bundesmarine. ...

The Chinese fleet all opened fire on the Japanese fleet as they passed from port to starboard across the bows of the Chinese vessels. They failed to score any significantly damaging hits on the Japanese from their 12-inch and 8.2-inch guns. At about 3000 yards (the Chinese had been steadily closing the range), the Japanese concentrated their fire on the right hand end of the Chinese line, with devastating barrages poured into first Chao Yung and then Yang Wei.

Both those vessels burst into flames and this has been put down to too much paint and varnish applied over the years. The Japanese had intended on swinging the flying division around the right flank of the Chinese line in an encirclement but the timely arrival of the Kuang Ping and Ping Yuen along with the two 'alphabetical' gunboats and torpedo boats Fu Lung (built at Schichau) and the Choi Ti, a Yarrow built vessel diverted this maneouvre. Sir Alfred Yarrow (1842 – 24 January 1932) started a shipbuilding dynasty from humble origins in east London. ...

The Japanese fast cruisers veered to port and were then despatched by Ito to go to the assistance of the Hiei, Saikyo and Akagi which had been unable to keep up with the main line and had then been engaged by the lefthand vessels of the Chinese line. Early in the battle the Ting Yuen had lost her signalling mast as well, which helped to cause more confusion with the Chinese vessels. The Chinese fleet, with some foresight, had anticipated something like this happening and formed into three pairs of mutually supporting vessels to carry the fight on.

The Japanese fleet, for its part, ravaged the Chinese and fought with fierce determination. Japanese shells set many Chinese ships aflame, and were responsible for sinking or seriously damaging eight of them, either during the battle or during later mopping up operations. Some of the Chinese ships, caked with many coats of flammable paint and varnish and manned by inexperienced crews, suffered horribly from the effect of superior Japanese gunnery.

The aftermath

The Japanese sank five Chinese warships, severly damaged three more and killed about 850 Chinese sailors with 500 wounded. The Ting Yuen had most casualties of the Chinese vessels still afloat with 14 dead and 25 wounded.

The Chinese seriously damaged four Japanese warships - Hiei being severely damaged and retired from the conflict; Akagi suffering from heavy fire and with great loss of life; Saikyo, the converted liner, urged on by Kabayama had been hit by four 12-inch shells and was sailing virtually out of control as a result, did cosmetic damage to two more, and killed about 90 Japanese sailors and wounded 200 more.

The Chinese fleet retired into Port Arthur, the Japanese withdrawing possibly from a fear of a torpedo boat attack from the Chinese in the night time and lack of ammunition. Location within China Lüshun city or Lüshunkou or (literally) Lüshun Port (Simplified Chinese: 旅顺口; Traditional Chinese: 旅順口; pinyin: , formerly in historic references both Port Arthur and Ryojun)), is a town in the southernmost administrative district of Dalian of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

While the Japanese certainly did far more damage to the Chinese fleet, many foreigners at the time credited China with the victory. The Chinese had successfully carried out their troop landing, and the Japanese, for their part, had withdrawn after running low on ammunition. Many credit the prompt action of foreign advisers in the Chinese fleet (most notably McGiffin) for keeping even the most heavily damaged Chinese ships fighting till the very end of the engagement. Later research suggests that the Chinese ships fighting in pairs was something that had been planned ahead of time to cover the eventuality of communications being lost in the smoke and confusion of battle. At the same time, it is fair to note that the Chinese suffered more from poor quality munitions - some of the shells fired by the PingYuen, for example, hit the Japanese Matsushima but failed to explode, being filled with cement rather than high explosives. These were made at the Tientsin factories. Categories: Japan geography stubs ... Tianjin (Chinese: 天津; pinyin: tiān jīn; Postal System Pinyin: Tientsin) is a harbour municipality in China on the Hai He River (from Beijing) and Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea (Pacific Ocean). ...

The Chinese Government laid the blame for the Chinese defeat squarely on the shoulders of Viceroy Li Hung-chang and Admiral Ting Ju ch'ang. However, on October 27, 1894, Admiral Freemantle, the British Commander-in-Chief met Ting in Wei-Hai-Wei with Ting "still lame from the burns received in the Yalu action" and described him as a "brave and patriotic man". Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhāng, Wade-Giles: Li Hung-chang) (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901) was a general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Chinese Qing Empire. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Weihai (威海; pinyin: wēihǎi, also Weihaiwei) is a seaport city on the Bohai Gulf in north-east Shandong province, China. ...

Despite these assessments, the Battle of the Yalu River is remembered by Chinese nationalists as a humiliating loss. The Japanese eventually won the First Sino-Japanese War which triggered outrage at China's weakness after the Self-Strengthening Movement and eventually led to the end of the Qing dynasty. Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino–Japanese War (or the Qing-Japanese War or Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)), primarily over control of Korea. ... Self-Strengthening Movement (Chinese: 自強運動) was a period of political reforms aimed at modernizing and liberalizing Chinese institutions toward the end of the Qing Dynasty, following a series of military defeats and concessions to foreign powers. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing...

Ships involved

Japanese ships:
Hashidate (4277t)
Itsukushima (4277t)
Matsushima (4277t) - damaged
Yoshino (4150t, 4-6in)
Akitsushima (3150t, 1-12.6in)
Fuso (3718t, 4-9.4in)
Naniwa (3650t, 2-10.2in)
Takachiho (3650t, 2-10.2in)
Chiyoda (2450t, 10-4.7in)
Hiei (2200t, 3-170mm) - damaged
Akagi (615t, 1-9.4in)
Saikyo (cargo ship)
Chinese ships:
Ting Yuan (7430t, 4-12in, 2-5.9in)
Chen Yuan (7430t, 4-12in, 2-5.9in)
Yang Wei (1350t)
Kuang Chia (1300t, 2-5.9in)
Chih Yuan (2300t, 3-8.2in, 2-6in) - sunk
Ching Yuan (2850t, 2-8in, 2-6in) - sunk
Chi Yuan (2355t, 3-8in)
Lai Yuan (2830t, 2-8.2in) - damaged
Kuang Ping (1000t, 1-4.7in)
The Ting Yuen was the Chinese flagship at the Battle of the Yalu River, which took place on September 17, 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese. ... The Chen Yuen was a Chinese warship at the Battle of the Yalu River, which took place on 17 September 1894, between the Japanese and Chinese. ...

See also

• Henry Walton Grinnell

Henry Walton Grinnell (November 19, 1843 - September 2, 1920), known as Walton Grinnell was a naval veteran of the American Civil War and the Spanish-American war. ...

External links

External site

References

• Fred T. Jane The Imperial Japanese Navy; Various Websites
• Richard N. J. Wright The Chinese Steam Navy 1862-1945, Chatham Publishing, London, 2000, ISBN 1861761449