Commander Newton A. McCully, the American naval attaché in Port Arthur through much of the siege noted that Ukhtomsky "was not esteemed as particularly able, but was considered a Russian patriot, and had the credit with the fleet of having forced Admiral Vitgeft to make the sortie of June 23"[2] Ukhtomsky’s family traced their lineage to the Rurik dynasty and had been moderately prominent boyars in the Muscovite period.

[citation needed] Ukhtomsky graduated from the Sea Cadets in 1867 and underwent further education at the Maritime College in 1873, specializing in mine warfare.

Following Starck’s dismissal on 24 February 1904, he served as acting commander for ten days before being formally relieved by Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov.

During the Battle of the Yellow Sea, after Admiral Wilgelm Vitgeft on the battleship Tsesarevich was killed by a Japanese shell, Ukhtomsky took command as the senior officer.

The signal halyards of his flagship, the battleship Peresvet, had been shot away; after restoring communications, Ukhtomsky ordered the fleet to return to the safety of Port Arthur.