USS Stingray (SS-186), a Salmon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the stingray, which is a large ray with a whiplike tail and sharp spines capable of inflicting severe wounds. Her keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 1 October 1936. She was launched on 6 October 1937 sponsored by Mrs. McLean, widow of Rear Admiral Ridley McLean, who had had a distinguished career in the submarine service, and was commissioned on 15 March 1938 with Lieutenant L. N. Blair in command.