USS Peary (DD-226) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named after Robert Edwin Peary. USS Peary was one of the many ships sunk by the Japanese in World War II.

Peary was launched in April 1920 and served in the Far East from 1922 onward. With the Yangtze River Patrol from 1923 to 1931, she made annual deployments in Chinese waters protecting American interests from 1931 to the outbreak of World War II.
Peary had had a couple of 'near misses' already from the Japanese bombers. She was moored at Cavite, Philippines, when news of the Pearl Harbor raid reached her and was caught in the raid on the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines, two days later. On the early afternoon of 10 December 1941, more than 50 two-engined high level bombers appeared over Cavite and, cruising leisurely above the range of anti-aircraft fire, destroyed practically the entire base.
Peary, tied up at a small pier, took one bomb forward which damaged the superstructure and stack and killed 8 of her crew. She found herself in a precarious position, as fires began to set off torpedo warheads in a torpedo overhaul shop on the wharf next to her. Fortunately, minesweeper Whippoorwill (AM-35) towed her out. Whippoorwill and Pillsbury (DD-227) came alongside and their fire hoses extinguished the fire in five minutes. Her commanding officer, Commander H. H. Keith was wounded in this engagement and was relieved by Comander JM Bermingham.

On 26 December 1941, Peary was underway when the Japanese came over again and dropped several bombs near the ship. By the morning of 27 December, Peary was in Campomanes Bay, Negros Island, where she decided to put in for the day.
Her crew camouflaged her with green paint and palm fronds, hoping to elude Japanese patrol bombers. Five passed overhead without spotting the ship that morning and when darkness fell she set out through the Celebes Sea for Makassar Strait..

A four-engined Japanese bomber spotted Peary the next morning, and shadowed her until early afternoon when three other bombers joined her in a two-hour attack. The planes dropped 500-pound bombs and then launched two torpedoes only 500 yards from the ship. Peary quickly backed on one engine and both torpedoes narrowly missed the bow. Seconds later, two more missed the stern by ten yards. The bombers then withdrew.

By New Year of 1942, Peary was at Darwin, Australia. During January and a part of February, she operated out of Darwin Harbour, mainly on anti-submarine patrol. On 15-16 February, Peary took part in a mission to transport reinforcements and supplies to Allied forces in Dutch Timor, but this was aborted after coming under intense air attack. On February 19, 1942 Darwin experienced a massive Japanese air attack. At about 10:45 am Peary was attacked by single-motored Japanese dive bombers, and was struck by five bombs. The first bomb exploded on the fantail, the second, an incendiary, on the galley deck house; the third did not explode; the fourth hit forward and set off the forward ammunition magazines; the fifth, another incendiary, exploded in the after engine room. A .30 caliber machine gun on the after deck house and a .50 caliber machine gun on the galley deckhouse fired until the last enemy plane flew away.

Peary's toll was 91 men killed and 13 wounded; she sank stern first at about 1:00 p.m. on 19 February 1942. She was struck from the Navy List 8 May 1942. The list of the dead from USS Peary.
Peary received one battle star for World War II service. There is a memorial in Darwin in honor of the lives lost, which is a 4 inch gun from USS Peary pointing at the site where the ship lies wrecked.