 On the night of 8 / 9 February 1904 , the IJN launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur . Peresvet was not hit by the initial torpedo @-@ boat incursion and sortied the following morning when the Combined Fleet , commanded by Vice Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō , attacked . Tōgō had expected the surprise night attack by his ships to be much more successful than it was , anticipating that the Russians would be badly disorganized and weakened , but they had recovered from their surprise and were ready for his assault . The Japanese vessels had been spotted by the protected cruiser Boyarin , which was patrolling offshore , and alerted the Russian defenses . Tōgō chose to attack the Russian coastal defenses with his main armament and engage the ships with his secondary guns . Splitting his fire proved to be a poor decision as the Japanese 8 @-@ inch ( 203 mm ) and six @-@ inch guns inflicted inconsequential damage on the Russian ships , which concentrated all their fire on their opponents with some effect . Peresvet was hit three times with little effect during the battle . 
