The submarine was laid down on March 31, 1954. On September 4 the same year, she was launched, and until 1990 she served in the USSR Navy. During 35 years of service, the S-189 has been sent to the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea for multiple military missions. She also participated in weapons tests on Ladoga Lake and served as a training ground for seamen of various ranks.

The submarine received a number of awards and honorary titles, and participated in naval parades in Moscow and Leningrad. In 1978, for the first time in the history of the Leningrad Naval Base, the boat participated in competitive torpedo firing, and as a result took the silver prize.

In 1990, the boat was decommissioned, and due to the destruction on board in 1998, S-189 sank. However, in 2005, the submarine was refloated by the efforts of veteran submariners and sent for overhaul. In 2007, the submarine was moored to the pier of the Leningrad Naval Base, where it still stays today. Several more years were spent on restoration work inside the submarine, and on March 20, 2010, S-189 started working as a floating museum ship in St. Petersburg.