She was laid down by shipyard #194 in Leningrad on 24 November 1936, shipped in sections by rail to Vladivostok where it was reassembled by Dalzavod.

During World War II, the submarine was under the command of Captain Grigori Shchedrin and was moved from the Pacific Fleet to the Northern fleet across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans via the Panama Canal.

The main difference between them was the replacement of German components used in Series IX with Soviet equivalents that could be manufactured domestically.

[6] S-56 was laid down in Leningrad on 24 November 1936 before being shipped by rail to Vladivostok, where it was launched on 25 December 1939.

[2][7] For her service, the submarine was awarded with the Order of the Red Banner and the Guards badge.