The USS Discovery was a Federation starship that was in service with Starfleet in the mid-24th century.
In that year, this starship waited for the USS James Fennimore Cooper at galactic coordinates 002/845 for a transfer of personnel from the latter ship to the Discovery. Around the same time, at least eight individuals from the USS Robert Louis Stevenson were reassigned to the Discovery.
At the end of that year, as Data was investigating a suspected conspiracy among the highest members of Starfleet Command, the android read an order to the Cooper which mentioned the Discovery. (TNG: "Conspiracy")
The ship was never mentioned in dialog; this name came from a mission order. The registry for this ship, which consisted of five numbers, might indicate that the ship was commissioned in the 24th century; however, the registry was illegible.