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As
a pioneering type of war ship of the Joseon Dynasty, the Turtle Ship was
conceived in 1592 by Admiral Yi Sun-Shin who anticipated a Japanese
invasion. The shape and tactical capabilities portrayed by Admiral Yi
Sun-Shin himself are as follows:
“Wooden
planks are laid on the upper deck of the ship, and on those planks, narrow
cross-shaped ramps are placed to enable people to walk through, with sharp
spear heads and spikes lodged on the rest of ship’s surface. The bow of
the ship is shaped like a head of a dragon, while the stern takes the
shape of the tail of a turtle. There are gun ports fore and aft and also
six gun ports port and starboard respectively, where large projectiles are
loaded and fired. When enemy soldiers attempt to board the vessel, a straw
mat is placed over the blades on the back of the Turtle Ship so they
cannot be seen. The Turtle Ship will hereinafter be in the vanguard of naval warfare,
with its sharp spear heads and spikes stopping enemy soldiers from
climbing onto its back. When enemy ships try to siege the Turtle Ship, it
can fire its cannons simultaneously fore and aft, port and starboard.”
Yi
Sun-Shin, Korea’s venerated admiral, utilized the Turtle Ship as an
assault ship and gained victory in 23 naval battles over 7 years under the
spirit of “If you want to live through combat, you will certainly die. But
if you want to die at combat, you will certainly live.” The Korean people
take immense pride in both Admiral Yi Sun-Shin and his indomitable Turtle Ship.
The
Portuguese Nau
The
age of the Caravels came to an end when Cap Bojador was rounded in 1487.
The prevailing Atlantic winds and currents that enabled this feat,
rendered far-away voyages feasible and justified the choice of the Nau as
a more suitable vessel for the Cape route. The reason was that it had much
greater DW tonnage, it could carry more cargo thus enable larger profits
and also more provisions, a larger crew, passengers, as well as cannons
for protection against the corsairs. Generally, the Nau had 3
decks, 3 masts (2 fitted with square sails and one with a Latin sail), a
forecastle and an aftercastle, and a carrying capacity varying between 120
and 1200 tuns.
Naus
that
sailed on the so called “Carreira da Índia” (India route) played a
leading role on the annual trade route between Lisbon and Goa, initiated
with the discovery of the maritime route to India, a voyage that Valignano
in 1574 described as being “the longest and most trying voyage there is”.
A true odyssey, which documents, in a dramatic way, our “história
trágico-marítima” (“tragic history of the sea”), a narrative of
dramatic shipwrecks occurred in those times.
Technical
Details
Date
of Issue: 25 March 2011
Values:
stamps of N20g (€0,32) and E20g (€0,80)
Designer: Eunkyung Park (Navio Tartaruga) Telmo Gomes
(Nau Portuguesa)
Printer:
Cartor Security Printer
Process:
4-colour offset lithography
Size:
stamps 40.0 mm x 30.6 mm
Perforation:
Cross of Christ 13 x 13
Paper:
FSC 110g/m2
Watermark:
Sheet:
sheets of 50 stamps
