The Yalu convoy and fleet battle

Admiral Ding initially wanted the main fleet to seek the Japanese while a light escort covered the convoy, but enemy reconnaissance forced a concentrated escort. Five transports nevertheless disembarked roughly 4,500 troops before the fleets met on 17 September. That completed mission complicated Chinese perceptions of defeat because convoy delivery, not ship destruction, had been the immediate operational objective. Japanese fire then sank or forced the loss of several Chinese cruisers, producing the enduring strategic and propaganda victory even though the two ironclads continued fighting.