Battle of the Yalu River

17 September 1894, Korea Bay, off the mouth of the Yalu

Japanese victory

The first big fleet action of the steam and steel era. Admiral Ito's faster cruisers circled Admiral Ding's line-abreast formation and sank or drove off its weaker ships. The two German-built battleships took hundreds of hits but survived, and the Chinese fleet withdrew to Port Arthur and then Weihaiwei.

Imperial Japanese Navy

12 ships, none lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
IJN Matsushima Ito's flagship; heavy shells set off ready ammunition, causing about 100 casualties, and Ito moved his flag to Hashidate	Protected cruiser	Damaged
IJN Chiyoda	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Itsukushima	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Hashidate	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Fuso	Ironclad	Damaged
IJN Hiei Cut through the Chinese line	Corvette Kongo class	Damaged
IJN Yoshino Flying Squadron flagship	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Takachiho	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Akitsushima	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Naniwa	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Akagi Captain killed	Gunboat	Damaged
IJN Saikyo Maru	Armed merchant cruiser	Damaged

Qing Chinese Navy

14 ships, 5 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Dingyuan 定遠 Ding Ruchang's flagship	Ironclad Dingyuan class	Damaged
Zhenyuan 鎮遠	Ironclad Dingyuan class	Damaged
Laiyuan 來遠 Badly burned	Armoured cruiser	Damaged
Jingyuan 經遠	Armoured cruiser	Sunk
Jingyuan 靖遠	Protected cruiser	Survived
Zhiyuan 致遠 Sank while trying to ram a Japanese cruiser	Protected cruiser	Sunk
Jiyuan 濟遠 Left the battle early	Protected cruiser	Escaped
Guangjia 廣甲 Fled, ran aground and was blown up	Cruiser	Scuttled
Chaoyong 超勇	Cruiser	Sunk
Yangwei 揚威 Ran aground burning	Cruiser	Sunk
Pingyuan 平遠 Joined from the Yalu anchorage	Armoured cruiser	Survived
Guangbing 廣丙 Joined from the Yalu anchorage	Cruiser	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Torpedo boats Fulong and Zuo No. 1, which arrived from the Yalu anchorage with Pingyuan and Guangbing in the afternoon.	2	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Torpedo boats

Fulong and Zuo No. 1, which arrived from the Yalu anchorage with Pingyuan and Guangbing in the afternoon.

Map

Beiyang Fleet escorts troops to the Yalu 16–17 September 1894
Ito's fleet searches the Korea Bay 16–17 September 1894