This was an unplanned consolation visit after Changwon fell through. Getting there is relatively easy – the base entry is literally next door to the Jinhae Intercity Bus Terminal, however as it is inside an operational naval base you must talk your way past the security guards, none of whom could speak a word of English. Just when I thought I was getting nowhere, a guide (who also couldn’t speak a word of English) showed up, put me in a car, and drove me to the other side of the base to the museum. The museum itself is a relatively small, but well-presented museum with three halls – one dedicated to General Yi who defeated the Japanese in the 16th century, one devoted to other ancient Korean naval artifacts, and one dealing with the 20th Century. There were virtually no bilingual captions, but it was still interesting and worth the visit. Outside there were the normal range of guns, missiles, and other shipboard equipment on display, along with an LVT, and an S-2 Tracker. There was also a full-size floating replica of a Turtle ship that you could go onboard and walk around – who knew those things had a wardroom! Camera use was allowed, but only on the museum exhibits – which was a shame as their new helicopter carrier was in port, along with about half a dozen other warships.
