 The name was given by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, in honor of the sloop Wasp, a sloop-of-war commanded by Jacob Jones during the War of 1812.The Wasp Islands are often locally called "the rock pile" due to the large number of rocks near the shorelines of the various islands.The Washington State ferry passes south of Crane Island through Wasp Passage on its trip to and from Orcas Island and San Juan Island.