Ding Ruchang
Two days after the battle, "Naniwa" and the gunboat returned to the wreck of the "Kwang-yi" to prevent any attempt to salvage the ship. The ship exploded when fired upon, probably as a result of the torpedo warheads detonating, which destroyed the gunboat. The IJN spent the next several weeks escorting troop convoys to Kunsan. On 9 August, Vice Admiral Itō, now commanding the Combined Fleet, took his ships to Weihaiwei, China, in search of the Beiyang Fleet and conducted a desultory bombardment of the port's coastal defenses when he did not find the Chinese ships. No damage was inflicted on either side and the Combined Fleet returned to Kunsan. For the rest of the month, the Flying Squadron escorted troop convoys to Kunsan. Itō sent "Naniwa" and "Yoshino" back to Weihahiwei on 14–15 September to find the Chinese ships, but they were unsuccessful, although their appearance convinced Admiral Ding Ruchang, commander of the Beiyang Fleet, that his ships were needed to defend the Chinese troop convoys to the mouth of the Yalu River. Their failure convinced Itō that the Beiyang Fleet was further north.