The engines were designed to produce a total of 4,700 indicated horsepower (3,500 kW) and gave the ship a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).

They carried 400 long tons (406 t) of coal that provided a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[3] The gun fired 10.8-pound (4.9 kg) shells to a range of about 8,600 yards (7,864 m) at its maximum elevation of 21° with a muzzle velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s).

[3] They fired a 3.3-pound (1.5 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,476 ft/s (450 m/s) at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of 2,020 yards (1,850 m).

Two days after the Japanese surprise attack on Port Arthur on 8/9 February 1904, Yenisei was laying a minefield at Dalian Bay when one mine broke loose and began floating towards the ship.

The consequent explosion caused eight mines still on the rails to detonate, killing 96 or 100 crewmen and sinking the ship in 20 minutes.

[6] On the morning of 15 May 1904, Rear Admiral Nashiba Tokioki led a squadron consisting of the pre-dreadnoughts Hatsuse, Yashima and Shikishima to bombard Port Arthur.

[7] Amur was subsequently besieged in Port Arthur and hit in drydock a number of times by 28-centimetre (11 in) howitzer shells on 8 December 1904.