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Thu, October 1, 2020 | 11:19

The misadventures of the HMS Grafton

The misadventures of the HMS Grafton

Following the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, the British government increased its naval strength in the Far East. In early summer of 1896, one of the British navy's newest ships, the HMS Grafton, departed England for the China Station.

2020-09-28 09:00

The Narcissus

In the late 19th century, life aboard a British warship (especially along the Korean peninsula) was often monotonous with gunnery and deck drills and never-ending ship's maintenance. The only excitement came when the ships anchored at Jemulpo (modern Incheon) and the crews were occasionally granted shore leave at which time they would fill the handful of hotels and bars and b...

2020-09-27 15:04

The Un'yo Incident of 1875: The attack on Yeongjong Island (part two)

The Un'yo Incident of 1875: The attack on Yeongjong Island (part two)

In the late hours of September 20, 1875, the Japanese warship Un'yo anchored off Yeongjong Island (where the Incheon International Airport is located). It was upon the “castle” (Yeongjong fort) that Captain Inoue intended to exact revenge for the “perfectly unprovoked assault” upon his crew by the Koreans the previous day.

2020-09-20 08:58

The Un'yo Incident of 1875 (part one)

The Un'yo Incident of 1875 (part one)

On the cloudy morning of September 19, 1875, a strange vessel appeared in the sea near Ganghwa Island. “Flying a yellow flag,” it had two masts - covered with sails - and a tall chimney in the center which belched out thick black smoke as it sailed to the southern tip of the island and anchored at the mouth of the narrow channel that separates the island from the mainland.

2020-09-19 09:11

The Nanzing - a cargo of criminals and corpses

The Nanzing - a cargo of criminals and corpses

The Nanzing shipped a variety of things generally between Shanghai, Jemulpo and Fusan - mainly general goods, mining equipment and a little gold, but very little from Nagasaki apparently due to the ship's bad reputation.

2020-09-13 12:49

The Nanzing - competition among steamers

The Nanzing - competition among steamers

The Nanzing - competition among steamers

In the early 1880s, Jemulpo [modern Incheon] was one Korea's three open ports. In the beginning, only two Japanese-subsidized steamships visited the isolated port - generally once or twice a month - and, unsurprisingly, they were expensive to utilize. But in the late summer of 1883, a competitor appeared - the British-owned Nanzing. It was a small steamer - only 808 tons - co...

2020-09-12 12:15

The Nanzing - a cargo of criminals and corpses

Drunken sailors, deadly riots: A tale from 19th century Nagasaki

Drunken sailors, deadly riots: A tale from 19th century Nagasaki

Nagasaki in the 19th century was Japan's version of the American “wild wild west.” Merchant marines and sailors from all parts of the world gathered in this port to drink, purchase companionship and fight. Most of the time these fights were simple affairs - one or two sailors fighting with a couple of sailors from an opposing navy - but on occasion they became literal street ...

2020-09-06 09:01

Leopards: A dangerous Korean luxury

Leopards: A dangerous Korean luxury

One cold morning in the winter of 1886, Antoinette Sontag - a member of the Russian legation in Seoul - opened her window to feed some of her pet pigeons and was startled to discover a huge leopard glaring at her. It bared its teeth, hissed, and then sprang over the legation's walls. A hunting party was quickly assembled and they followed the leopard's tracks (apparently thro...

2020-09-05 10:19

Yokohama a century ago

Yokohama a century ago

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Yokohama was one of the gateways to Korea. Travelers from the United States and Europe would often sail to Yokohama aboard large ocean-going steamships and then take smaller coastal steamers - stopping at Kobe and Nagasaki - to Fusan (modern Busan), Wonsan and Jemulpo (modern Incheon).

2020-08-30 14:09

Sleeping in danger

Sleeping in danger

Korean summers are miserably hot and humid. About a century ago, the only escape from the stifling heat at night was to seek cool relief by sleeping outside. Of course, this was not without dangers. Tigers still stalked the darkness and occasionally made off with hapless woodsmen and lonely travelers. Yet, surprisingly, tigers were not the greatest danger - wolves were.

2020-08-29 09:42

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