Lin Yongsheng

{{Short description|Chinese Vice-Admiral (1853-1894)}} {{Family name hatnote|Lin|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = |name = Lin Yongsheng<br>林永昇 |honorific_suffix = |image = Lin Yongsheng.jpg |image_upright = |alt = |caption = |native_name = |native_name_lang = |birth_name = |other_name = |nickname = |birth_date = 1853 |birth_place = Houguan County, Fujian, China |death_date = {{death date and age|1894|09|17|1853}} |death_place = Yalu River, Korea Bay |burial_place = |burial_label = |burial_coordinates =  |allegiance = {{flagcountry|Qing Dynasty}} |branch = {{flagdeco|Qing Dynasty}} Beiyang Fleet |branch_label = Branch |service_years = 1867–1894 |service_years_label = |rank = {{flagicon image|Imperial Chinese Navy Vice Admiral's Flag (1909-1911).svg}} Vice Admiral |rank_label = |service_number = |unit = |commands = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Fleet_Commander_of_the_Beiyang_Fleet.svg}} Left Fleet of the Beiyang Fleet |known_for = |battles = Imo Incident<br>First Sino-Japanese War *Battle of the Yalu River{{KIA}} |battles_label = |awards = |memorials = |alma_mater = {{illm|Fujian Naval Academy|zh|船政學堂}} |spouse =  |children = |relations = |other_work = |signature = |signature_size = |signature_alt = |website =  |module = }}

'''Lin Yongsheng''', courtesy name '''Zhongqing''' was a Qing-era Chinese Vice Admiral. He was the commander of the Left Fleet of the Beiyang Fleet during the First Sino-Japanese War, serving aboard the ''Jingyuan''.

==Education and organization== Lin Yongsheng was born into the prestigious Lin family which was a prominent family within Houguan County. In 1867, Lin was admitted to the first phase of the navigation department of {{illm|Fujian Naval Academy|zh|船政學堂}}. In 1871, he was transferred to the training ship ''Jianwei'' and served on the ship after graduation. In 1875, he was transferred to the cruiser ''Yangwu'', and later transferred back to the Naval Academy as a teacher with the rank of ensign.<ref name="ZWBK">{{Cite web|title=林永升|url=http://m.zwbk.org/lemma/128837|website=zwbk.org|language=zh|access-date=December 22, 2022|archive-date=December 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222212956/http://m.zwbk.org/lemma/128837|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1876, he was one of the first batch of 12 international students who traveled to the United Kingdom to study abroad.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zheng|first=Pengnian|title=丝绸之路全史|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=na4XEAAAQBAJ&dq=%E6%9E%97%E6%B0%B8%E6%98%87&pg=PT315|date=July 2016|publisher=天津人民出版社|language=zh|access-date=December 22, 2022|isbn=9787201105734}}</ref> He arrived in the UK the following year and was admitted to the Navigation Department of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Lin then took an internship on the {{ship|HMS|Minotaur|1863|6}} and took the ship to travel the Mediterranean Sea and other places.<ref name="ZWBK"/>

In 1880, Lin and five other classmates returned to China after finishing their studies. The Qing government promoted him to Lieutenant junior rank. Under the command of Li Hongzhang, Lin Yongsheng was transferred to the Beiyang Fleet as the commander of the gunboat ''Zhenzhong'', and later transferred to the commander of the training ship ''Kangji''. In 1882, as a member of the Ding Ruchang's fleet, he went to the Korean Peninsula to suppress the Imo Incident. Because of his military service, he was promoted to Lieutenant and awarded the honor of "Dai Hualing". In the spring of 1887, he and Deng Shichang, Ye Zugui, Qiu Baoren and others went to Germany and the United Kingdom to pick up state-of-the-art ships. Lin was responsible for picking up the armored cruiser ''Jingyuan'' in Germany where the ''Zhiyuan'' and ''Jingyuan'' would rendezvous. During the return of the four warships, they stopped in Singapore in November 1887 and opened the overseas Chinese to watch the warship. The four warships ordered from abroad returned safely in the spring of 1888 and Lin Yongsheng was promoted to Captain due to his achievements in taking over the ships.<ref name="ZWBK"/>

In August of the same year, the four warships were formally commissioned and Lin Yongsheng continued to stay on the long-distance warships, and continued to be in charge of the long-distance warships. On December 17, the establishment of the Beiyang Fleet was officially announced and Lin Yongsheng was appointed as the deputy commander of the left-wing fleet and the commander of the long-distance warship.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chen|first=Yusong|title=椰隂館文存|volume=1-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7wdAQAAMAAJ&q=%E6%9E%97%E6%B0%B8%E6%98%87|date=1984|publisher=Nanyang Xue Hui|language=zh|pages=147|isbn=9789971838652 |access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref> According to the order of official ranks in the Beiyang Navy Charter, Lin Yongsheng was the sixth commander. Around this time, Lin was noted as being honest and kind-hearted and was described as " having a gentle and easy-going personality,... never reprimanding others in public ."<ref name="ZWBK"/>

==First Sino-Japanese War== During the Battle of the Yalu River in the Yellow Sea on September 17, 1894, the ''Jingyuan'' was located on the right wing of the Beiyang Navy fleet, next to the ''Zhenyuan'' and the ''Jingyuan''. After the ''Zhiyuan'' sank, the ''Jingyuan'' commanded by Lin Yongsheng, the ''Ji Yuan'' and ''Guangjia'' tried to leave the battlefield and return to the port of Lushun, but were chased by the first guerrillas of the Combined Fleet and finally were besieged by the first guerrillas. Lin Yongsheng was hit by a shell during the battle and was killed in action.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mao|first=Min|title=近代中国抗击日本侵略的战争：《复兴记》主题节选本之二|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6IzACQAAQBAJ&dq=%E6%9E%97%E6%B0%B8%E6%98%87&pg=PA7|date=June 2015|language=zh|pages=7|access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref> Afterwards, the first officer and the second officer on board were shot and killed one after another. At 17:29 on the same day, the ship suffered heavy damage, capsized and sank. Only 17 people on board survived. After the war, the Qing court, in recognition of his service, paid compensation according to the rules of the admiral and posthumously promoted him to Vice Admiral.<ref name="ZWBK"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

===Bibliography=== *{{Cite book|last=Zhao|first=Erxun|author-link=Zhao Erxun|title=Draft History of Qing: Biography 281|volume=494|url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E5%8F%B2%E7%A8%BF/%E5%8D%B7494#%E6%9E%97%E6%B0%B8%E6%98%87|language=zh}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Yongsheng}} Category:People from Minhou County Category:1853 births Category:1894 deaths Category:Qing dynasty admirals Category:Generals from Fujian Category:Politicians from Fuzhou Category:Qing military personnel killed in action Category:Chinese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Category:Beiyang Fleet personnel Category:Chinese expatriates in England