The ship was laid down on 7 January 1963 by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington; launched on 8 February 1964; sponsored by Mrs. Cecil Ford and Mrs. Herbert Diamond; and commissioned on 7 November 1964.

Simon Lake returned to Charleston on 3 April and tended submarines there until 19 November 1972 when she sailed for Rota, Spain, as the relief for USS Holland.

After Refresher Training (REFTRA) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Simon Lake assumed duties tending submarines at the Naval Weapons Station, Goose Creek, South Carolina.

She was relaunched in September 1986 at which time she did a short shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay until December 1986 when she returned to Charleston, South Carolina for a brief stop over to take on supplies before heading off to Holy Loch, Scotland in May 1987.

Sailing for Norfolk, Virginia, that March, Simon Lake drew to a close thirty years of US Navy presence in Holy Loch, Scotland.

In March 1992, Simon Lake participated in Teamwork '92, a joint North Atlantic operation and conducted repairs to USS La Moure County (LST-1194) in Trondheim, Norway.

After completion of the overhaul and a visit to Palma, Spain in March 1993, she arrived at her new homeport of La Maddalena, Italy where she relieved USS Orion.

In March 1998, the ship transited the Suez Canal to the United Arab Emirates where she supported Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf.