The three obsolete "Ushakov"s (, , and "Admiral Senyavin") were rejected for inclusion in the Second Pacific Squadron assembled by Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky to reinforce the existing Russian squadron based at Port Arthur after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War as Rozhestvensky felt they were unsuitable for such an extreme blue-water operation. Nevertheless, all three were selected to form part of Admiral Nebogatov's Third Pacific Squadron which was subsequently sent out to reinforce Rozhestvensky on his journey to the Far East after political agitation following his departure. This Third Pacific Squadron transited the Suez Canal and the two Russian squadrons rendezvoused at Cam Ranh Bay after a cruise that became known as the "Voyage of the Damned", and from there Rozhestvensky set course through the South China Sea towards the Korea Strait, where they were discovered by the Japanese.