 Peresvet sailed with the rest of the Pacific Squadron on 23 June in an abortive attempt to reach Vladivostok . The new squadron commander , Rear Admiral Wilgelm Vitgeft , ordered the squadron to return to Port Arthur when it encountered the Japanese fleet shortly before sunset , as he did not wish to engage his numerically superior opponents in a night battle . Peresvet bombarded Japanese positions besieging the port on 28 July . Some of the ship 's guns were removed during the summer to reinforce the defenses of the port . Peresvet lost a total of three 6 @-@ inch , two 75 @-@ millimeter , two 47 @-@ millimeter and four 37 @-@ millimeter guns . She was hit on 9 August by two 4 @.@ 7 @-@ inch ( 120 mm ) shells fired by a battery with a narrow view of the harbor , but they caused only slight damage . 
