| Date | Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class / type | Notes |
| 9 January | United States | Mare Island Naval Shipyard | Vallejo, California | Halibut | Unique nuclear-powered submarine | |
| 18 January | West Germany | Nordseewerke | Emden | Anita Thyssen | Nordseewerke Bulk Carrier 17.100 tdw | For Seereederei Frigga, Hamburg |
| 22 January | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Bankura | Cargo ship | For British India Steam Navigation Company.[1] |
| 27 January | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Ashbank | Cargo ship | For Bank Line.[2] |
| 31 January | Australia | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | Sydney, New South Wales | Parramatta | River-class destroyer escort | |
| January | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | Sabtow One | Tank barge | For Sabine Towing.[3] |
| 11 February | West Germany | Burmester shipyard | Bremen-Burg | Cuxhaven | Lindau-class minesweeper | For German Navy |
| 14 February | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Y.C.484 | Lighter | For Admiralty.[4] |
| 17 February | United States | Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard | Sparrows Point, Maryland | Haleakala | Nitro-class ammunition ship | |
| 26 February | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Ulster Star | Refrigerated cargo ship | For Blue Star Line.[5] |
| 9 March | United Kingdom | Yarrow Shipbuilders | Glasgow, Scotland | Ashanti | Tribal-class frigate | |
| 19 March | Sweden | Oskarshamns varv | Oskarshamn | Bore | Ferry | For Steamship Company Bore |
| 19 March | West Germany | Nordseewerke | Emden | Essiflora | Nordseewerke Bulk Carrier 17.100 tdw | For Björn Ruud-Pedersen |
| 21 March | West Germany | | | Emden | Köln-class (Type 140) frigate | |
| 26 March | West Germany | Husumer Schiffswerft GmbH | Husum | Rüm Hart | ferry | For Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei Amrum GmbH[6] |
| 6 April | United Kingdom | Fairfield Shipbuilding | Glasgow, Scotland | Lincoln | Salisbury-class frigate | |
| 9 April | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Somers Isle | Cargo ship | For Pacific Steam Navigation Company.[7] |
| 13 April | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Elk | Coaster | For British Transport Commission.[8] |
| 22 April | United States | Defoe Shipbuilding Company | Bay City, Michigan | Henry B. Wilson | Charles F. Adams-class destroyer | |
| 23 April | United Kingdom | Cammell Laird | Birkenhead | Cheshire | Cargo ship | For Bibby Line |
| 23 April | United States | Todd Pacific Shipyards | Seattle, Washington | Towers | Charles F. Adams-class destroyer | |
| April | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | F.T.C. 120 | Barge | For Findlay Towing Co. Inc.[3] |
| April | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | F.T.C. 121 | Barge | For Findlay Towing Co. Inc.[3] |
| 7 May | United Kingdom | Blyth Dry Docks & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd | Blyth, Northumberland | Queensgarth | Bulk carrier | For St. Denis Shipping Co. Ltd.[9] |
| 16 May | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Blueback | Barbel-class submarine | |
| 21 May | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Eskfield | Tanker | For Hunting & Sons.[10] |
| 22 May | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | British Power | Tanker | For British Tanker Company.[11] |
| 23 May | United States | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | Preble | Farragut-class destroyer | |
| 25 May | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Moose | Coaster | For British Transport Commission.[12] |
| 25 May | Japan | | | Oyashio | Oyashio-class submarine | |
| 5 June | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Pinebank | Cargo ship | For Bank Line.[13] |
| 9 June | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | George Washington | George Washington-class submarine | |
| 18 June | Japan | | | Harusame | Murasame-class destroyer | |
| 20 June | France | Dubigeon | Nantes | Daphné | Daphné-class submarine | For French Navy |
| 22 June | United Kingdom | Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. Ltd | Newport | Matanzas | Cargo ship | For Banco Cubano del Comercio Exterio.[14] |
| 22 June | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Y.C.483 | Lighter | For Admiralty.[15] |
| 23 June | United Kingdom | Hawthorn Leslie | Hebburn | Royston Grange | Refrigerated cargo liner | For Houlder Line |
| 23 June | United Kingdom | Cammell Laird | Birkenhead | Windsor Castle | Ocean liner | For Union-Castle Line |
| 24 June | Japan | | | Teruzuki | Akizuki-class destroyer | |
| 26 June | Japan | | | Akizuki | Akizuki-class destroyer | |
| 26 June | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Constable | Refrigerated cargo ship | For Lamport and Holt Line Ltd.[16] |
| 1 July | West Germany | Schiffs- und Maschinenbau AG Mannheim | Mannheim | L 830 | Type Mannheim 59 ferry | For Flusspioniere |
| 7 July | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Amazon | Passenger ship | For Royal Mail Line.[17] |
| 8 July | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | York | Coaster | For Associated Humber Lines.[18] |
| 9 July | United States | Fore River Shipyard | Quincy, Massachusetts | Macdonough | Farragut-class destroyer | |
| 14 July | United States | Fore River Shipyard | Quincy, Massachusetts | Long Beach | Long Beach-class cruiser | |
| 18 July | France | | | Foch | Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier | First launching |
| 21 July | United States | New York Shipbuilding | Camden, New Jersey | Savannah | Nuclear-powered cargo ship | For United States Maritime Administration |
| 23 July | United Kingdom | Blyth Dry Docks & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd | Blyth, Northumberland | Hamilton Trader | Tanker | For Trader Line Ltd.[19] |
| 28 July | United States | Defoe Shipbuilding Company | Bay City, Michigan | Lynde McCormick | Charles F. Adams-class destroyer | |
| 8 August | Japan | | | Takanami | Ayanami-class destroyer | |
| 15 August | West Germany | Stülcken & Sohn | Hamburg | Augsburg | Köln-class (Type 140) frigate | |
| 17 August | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Parsons | Forrest Sherman-class destroyer | |
| 19 August | New Zealand | J. Samuel White & Co. | Cowes, Isle of Wight | Taranaki | Modified Rothesay-class frigate | |
| August | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | BMC-142 | Barge | For BMC-145 Inc.[3] |
| 8 September | United States | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | Charles F. Adams | Charles F. Adams-class destroyer | |
| 22 September | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | Patrick Henry | George Washington-class submarine | |
| 3 October | United States | Mare Island Naval Shipyard | Vallejo, California | Theodore Roosevelt | George Washington-class submarine | |
| 5 October | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Esso Tynemouth | Tanker | For Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd.[20] |
| 7 October | United States | San Francisco Naval Shipyard | San Francisco, California | Mahan | Farragut-class destroyer | |
| 20 October | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Aragon | Cargo liner | For Royal Mail Lines.[21] |
| 23 October | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Bode Thomas | Buoy tender | For Nigerian Ports Authority.[22] |
| 24 October | West Germany | | | Karlsruhe | Köln-class (Type 140) frigate | |
| 24 October | Sweden | Kockums | Malmö | Esso Brussels | Tanker | For Esso Marine (Belgium) SA |
| 3 November | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | British Mallard | Tanker | For British Tanker Company.[23] |
| 3 November | United Kingdom | Vickers-Armstrong | Barrow-in-Furness | Oriana | Ocean liner | For Orient Line |
| 1 December | United Kingdom | Blyth Dry Docks & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd | Blyth, Northumberland | Monksgarth | Bulk Carrier | For St. Denis Shipping Co. Ltd.[24] |
| 15 December | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Berwick | Rothesay-class frigate | For Royal Navy. |
| 18 December | United States | Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Robert E. Lee | George Washington-class submarine | |
| 29 December | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | British Gull | Tanker | For British Tanker Company.[25] |
| 29 December | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Elmbank | Cargo ship | For Bank Line.[26] |
| 29 December | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | Scorpion | Skipjack-class submarine | |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Bangkang | Tank barge | For Sociètè Shell du Cambodge.[27] |
| Unknown Date | West Germany | Nordseewerke | Emden | Betty | Nordseewerke Bulk Carrier 17.100 tdw | For Christian F. Bonnevie |
| Unknown Date | West Germany | Schiffs- und Maschinenbau AG Mannheim | Mannheim | Harle Riff | Type Mannheim 59 ferry | For Flusspioniere |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Kanchadeva | Merchantman | For private owner.[28] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Kreng | Tank barge | For Sociètè Shell du Cambodge.[29] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Lies | Tank barge | For Sociètè Shell du Cambodge.[30] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | Aldous Successors Ltd. | Brightlingsea | Penelope | Survey ship | For Nigerian Navy.[31] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Pussadeva | Merchantman | For private owner.[32] |
| Unknown date | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | R.B. No. 5 | Barge | For River Barges Inc.[3] |
| Unknown date | United States | Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company | Mobile, Alabama | TTC 36 | Barge | For Tutts Towing Co.[3] |