The contract to build the Hampton was awarded to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia (adjacent to the aforementioned Hampton, Va.) on 6 February 1987, and her keel was laid down on 2 March 1990. She was launched on 3 April 1992, sponsored by Mrs. Laura Bateman, and she was commissioned on 16 November 1993, with Commander David Antanitus in command. In late April 2004 Hampton along with HMS Tireless (S88) surfaced through the ice together at the North Pole. In 2010 and 2011, the USS Hampton won the Submarine Squadron 11 Battle Efficiency award.