Editing Turtle ship (section)

===Roofing===
{{See also|Naval armour}}[[File:Geobukseon1.jpg|thumb|Estimation of the early 15th century turtle ship according to an illustration from 1795{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|p=198}}]]There are non-contemporary sources that state that the turtle ship was covered with metal plates,{{sfnp|Swope|2005|p=32}}<ref name="Parker1996">{{cite book|author=Geoffrey Parker|author-link=Geoffrey Parker (historian)|title=The military revolution: military innovation and the rise of the West, 1500-1800|year=1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-47958-5|page=109}}</ref><ref name="Quarstein2006">{{cite book|author=John V. Quarstein|title=A history of ironclads: the power of iron over wood|year=2006|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-1-59629-118-8|page=28}}</ref>{{sfnp|Nolan|2006|p=878}} which would make it the first armored ship in history.<ref name="Seth2010">{{cite book|author=Michael J. Seth|title=A history of Korea: from antiquity to the present|year=2010|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-6716-0|page=147}}</ref><ref name="Bowman2000">{{cite book|author=John Stewart Bowman|title=Columbia chronologies of Asian history and culture|url=https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-11004-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john/page/211 211]}}</ref><ref name="Inc2000">{{cite book|author=Merriam-Webster, Inc|title=Merriam-Webster's collegiate encyclopedia|year=2000|publisher=Merriam-Webster|isbn=978-0-87779-017-4|page=1776}}</ref> While it is clear from the available sources that the roof of the ship was covered with iron spikes to prevent boarding,{{sfnp|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|p=193}} there is split opinion among historians on whether the turtle ship was ironclad.{{sfnp|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|pp=192–199}}<ref name="Roh 2004, 13">Roh, Young-koo: "Yi Sun-sin, an Admiral Who Became a Myth", ''The Review of Korean Studies'', Vol. 7, No. 3 (2004), p.13</ref>

There are no contemporary Korean sources from Yi Sun-sin's time that refer to the turtle ship as ironclad.{{sfnp|Needham|1971|pp=683–684}}{{sfnp|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}<ref name="Roh 2004, 13" />{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|pp=195–197}} One Japanese chronicle mentions a clash in August 1592 which involved three Korean turtle ships "covered in iron." This could refer to the iron spikes protruding from their roofs.{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|p=602}} Historian [[Stephen Turnbull (historian)|Stephen Turnbull]], however, points out the fact that in February 1593 the Japanese government ordered the military to use an iron plate in building ships, possibly in response to the Korean attacks.{{sfnp|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}

Samuel Hawley has suggested that the idea of ironclad turtle ships has its origins in the writings of late 19th-century [[Western culture|Westerners]] returning from Korea.<ref name="Roh 2004, 13" />{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|p=197f}} The progression from simple comparison to a statement that the turtle ships anticipated the modern ironclad by centuries can be roughly charted in retrospect, starting no earlier than ca. 1880. Coming in touch with local tales of ancient armored ships in a period which saw the rise of Western-type ironclad warship to global prominence, these authors may have naturally conjured up the image of metal armor instead of a more traditional heavy timber shell.{{sfnp|Hawley|2005|p=197f}} For instance, during the [[General Sherman incident|''General Sherman'' incident]], the Koreans initially constructed an improvised turtle ship, which was protected by metal sheeting and cowhides to destroy ''General Sherman'' but failed to penetrate its iron hull at the cost of one of their sailors.<ref name="Roblin2018">{{cite web|last=Roblin|first=Sebastien|date=2018-01-18|title=In 1871, America 'Invaded' Korea. Here's What Happened.|url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/1871-america-invaded-korea-heres-what-happened-24113|access-date=2021-04-14|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Lindsay2013">{{cite web|last=Lindsay|first=James M.|date=2013-06-10|title=TWE Remembers: The Korean Expedition of 1871 and the Battle of Ganghwa (Shinmiyangyo)|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/twe-remembers-korean-expedition-1871-and-battle-ganghwa-shinmiyangyo|access-date=2021-07-24|website=The National Interest|language=en}}</ref> When the [[French expedition to Korea|French Navy threatened Korea]], the government ordered an ironclad ship be built "like the turtle ship." However, despite all efforts the design failed to float. Turnbull believes that the 19th-century experience should not rule out a "limited amount of armor plating in 1592".{{sfnp|Turnbull|2002|p=244}}