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| “ | Korean unique unit. Slow, ironclad battleship used to destroy other ships at close range. | ” |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Turtle Ship is the second unique unit of the Koreans in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is a heavily armored gunpowder warship that can be trained at the Dock once the Castle Age is reached. In The Conquerors, a Castle was also required in order to train Turtle Ships. That was changed in The African Kingdoms.
Turtle Ships can be upgraded to Elite Turtle Ships in the Imperial Age.
Tactics
The Turtle Ship is one of the major Korean advantages. A single Turtle Ship can wipe out a small fleet of enemy vessels. When faced with enemy Turtle Ships, the wisest idea is to build Demolition Ships and use them to attack the Turtle Ships. Considering the high cost of Turtle Ships, that is even cost effective. Turtle Ships are also weak against Mangonels and Bombard Cannons.
The Turtle Ship's main weaknesses are its short range and slow speed, allowing other ships to utilize hit-and-run tactics on it. The cost is also a drawback.
The player must not fall in the trap to only create Turtle Ships as that mistake can prove costly. To use them properly, Turtle Ships must be paired with other naval vessels, most likely Galleons, which have a long-ranged attack and hinder the enemy to use hit-and-run tactics. The role of the Turtle Ship in the navy is to soak up a lot of damage while dealing a considerable amount of damage to enemy vessels. Therefore, they should be used in the first frontline.
Turtle Ships are very heavily armored, with the non-elite Turtle Ship possessing +8 defense against anti-ship attack bonuses that other ships and Towers typically deal against ships. The Elite Turtle Ship even has +11 defense against anti-ship attack bonuses, making it especially formidable. This bonus defense counters almost all the bonus attack that ships (War Galleys and Fire Ships) and Towers deal against naval vessels. Elite Turtle Ships also receive a small defense boost against Fast Fire Ships.
Further Statistics
| Unit Strengths and Weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Ships at close distance, buildings on the shoreline, units on the shoreline or shallows |
| Weak vs. | Bombard Cannons, Monks, Trebuchets, Castles, Towers, Condottieri (in the shallows), Samurai (in the shallows), Demolition Ships, Mangonels |
| Upgrades | |
| Armor | Careening |
| Speed | Dry Dock, Panokseon |
| Conversion defense | Faith |
| Creation Speed | Shipwright |
| Train Cost | Shipwright |
| Upgrades | Turtle Ships can be upgraded to Elite Turtle Ships |
- A team containing Teutons: Turtle Ships are more resistant to conversion.
Trivia
- Despite being gunpowder units, Turtle Ships are unaffected by the Turkish Team Bonus.
- The Turtle Ship is one of only four units in the game without any attack bonus (the other being the Militia, the Boyar, and the Knight line).
History
| “ | Under attack by samurai Japan in 1592, the fate of Korea and perhaps China depended on breaking the invader’s supply lines at sea across the Straits of Korea. Korean admiral Yi Sun-Shin won two great naval victories off southern Korea with the aid of Turtle Ships, the first armored warships in history. These oarpowered ships had a low profile and mounted a battery of cannons on their broadside. Their sides and top were rounded and shaped like a flat turtle shell. They were not well suited for use on the high sea but quite useful in coastal waters where waters were relatively calm. The Japanese ships were at a great disadvantage in combat against them. Most missile fire glanced off their rounded armor. They offered no openings for enemy boarding parties. Unarmored enemy ships were quickly disabled by their cannon. | ” |
Gallery
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