Construction of SSN 772 began on March 1, 1990 and her keel was laid on April 16, 1992, at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. The Pre-Commissioning Unit Greeneville was officially manned on January 19, 1994, and christened on September 17, 1994, by Mrs. Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore. The 22nd improved Los Angeles-class attack submarine was commissioned at Norfolk Naval Base on February 16, 1996, with Cmdr. Duane B. Hatch in command.

February 9, 2001 At approximately 1:50 p.m. HST, USS Greeneville collided with the Japanese vessel "Ehime Maru" while conducting routine operations approximately 9 miles south of Diamond Head off Honolulu, Hawaii. The trawler sank about 5 minutes after the collision. 26 of the trawler's 35 crew members could be rescued immediately. 12 of them suffered minor injuries. The trawler was a training ship of a Japanese fishing school and had 13 students and their teachers aboard. From the 35 people aboard 9 were killed in the accident. These were four 17 years old students, two teachers and three crew members of the trawler.

March 30, Following detailed inspections, testing and repair in dry dock, SSN 772 has been scheduled to undock on the afternoon of April 2. The submarine entered dry dock in the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Feb. 20 to give engineers, inspectors and mechanics an opportunity to more fully determine the submarine's condition and make necessary repairs. The ship was originally scheduled to deploy in June for six months to the western Pacific. The submarine's deployment schedule is under review, and its departure date hasn't been definitively determined.

August 27, 2001 USS Greeneville ran aground while entering port in Saipan on a routine western Pacific Deployment. The boat's underside, rudder, and secondary propulsion motor suffered minor damage; repairs required drydocking and a significant delay in the remainder of her deployment. The boat's commanding officer, Cmdr. David Bogdan, was relieved of command, and the navigator and assistant navigator were also removed from their duties. In addition, the navigator and the sub's executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Gerald Pfieffer, were found guilty of "hazarding a vessel" during an admiral's mast, conducted by Rear Admiral Joseph Enright, Commander, Submarine Group Seven.

January 27, 2002 USS Greeneville and USS Ogden (LPD 5) were involved in a collision at sea in international waters in the Arabian Sea. No injuries were reported and initial assessments indicate minor damage. The sub was on the surface preparing to transfer two emergency leave eligible crewmembers from the attack submarine to the amphibious transport dock ship when the incident occurred.

September 3, 2003 USS Greeneville departed Naval Station Pearl Harbor for a scheduled deployment, with the USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group, in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Greeneville recently completed sea testing for the Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS). The ASDS 65-foot mini submarine is operated by a crew of two and can carry eight SEAL team members.

February 27, 2004 SSN 772 returned to homeport after a six-month underway period with the Navy's first Expeditionary Strike Group.

July 9, Cmdr. Lorin Selby relieved Cmdr. Lee Hankins as commanding officer of USS Greeneville.

June 19, 2006 Capt. Stephen Marr relieved Capt. Michael Zieser as commander, Submarine Squadron One in a change of command ceremony held aboard the Greeneville at Pearl Harbor Naval Station.

November 17, USS Greeneville departed Pearl Harbor for a western Pacific deployment.

January 22, 2007 SSN 772 pulled to Apra Harbor, Guam, for routine maintenance before continuing to support operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet.

March 7, The Los Angeles-class attack submarine arrived in Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit.

May 17, USS Greeneville returned to Naval Station Pearl Harbor after a six-month deployment.

October 15, USS Greenville departed homeport, for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for a 15-month Depot Modernization Period.

November 14, 2008 The Greenville departed dry dock one week earlier than previously scheduled.

June 4, 2009 SSN 772 departed PNSY after more than a year of refueling and upgrades.

November 3, Cmdr. Anthony Carullo relieved Cmdr. Alan Dorrbecker as CO of the Greenville during a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.