USS Tarantula (SP-124) was motor yacht that was converted into a United States Navy patrol boat. She was named after the tarantula.
East Coast assignment Tarantula was built as a motor yacht in 1912 at Neponset, Boston, by George Lawley & Son. She was acquired by the US Navy on 25 April 1917 from WK Vanderbilt of New York City. Assigned to section patrol in the 3rd Naval District in World War I, Tarantula patrolled coastal waters of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey until October 1918.
Collision and sinking On 28 October 1918, Tarantula sank about southwest of the Fire Island lightship after colliding with the Royal Holland Lloyd steamship Frisia. Her name was subsequently struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
Tarantula′s owner subsequently was paid $75,000 to cover her value.
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Tarantula (American Motor Yacht, 1912). Served as USS Tarantula (SP-124) in 1917-1918