When the Russo-Japanese War broke out in 1904, Rurik and the other cruisers of the Pacific Squadron, , , and , were all charged with seeking out and destroying Japanese merchant vessels in the Sea of Japan and along the coasts of the Japanese home islands.
On 14 August, three of the four Vladivostok-based cruisers sortied towards Port Arthur (Bogatyr having received damage due to grounding[REF]) in an attempt to assist in lifting the Japanese blockade.