USS Scorpion - Definition

Six vessels of the United States Navy -- four ships and two submarines -- have borne the name USS Scorpion, named for scorpions, an order of arachnids having an elongated body and a narrow segmented tail bearing a venomous sting at the tip. See also HMS Scorpion, CSS Scorpion, and Soviet submarine Scorpion.

• The first (or second?) Scorpion was a block sloop that was part of Joshua Barney's Chesapeake Bay flotilla in the War of 1812.
• The second (or first?) Scorpion, a schooner, served on the upper Great Lakes during the War of 1812.
• The third Scorpion was a bark-rigged steamer purchased in 1847 and used in the Mexican-American War.
• The fourth Scorpion (PY-3) was a patrol yacht in service from 1898 to 1927.
• The fifth Scorpion (SS-278), a Gato-class submarine, was lost during World War II.
• The sixth Scorpion (SSN-589), a Skipjack-class submarine was lost by accident during the Cold War.