The list of ship launches in 1940 includes a chronological list of some ships launched in 1940.
| Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 January |  United States
|
Sun Shipbuilding | Mormacmail | Merchant | Converted to escort carrier USS Long Island in 1941 | |
| 24 January |  United Kingdom
|
Smiths Dock Company | River Tees | Gladiolus | Flower-class corvette | |
| February |  Germany
|
G. Seebeck A.G. | Wesermünde | Malangen | Trawler | Captured by Norway 13 April 1940 and renamed HNoMS Honningsvåg |
| 4 March | United States
|
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company | Kearny, New Jersey | Markay | Maritime Commission Type N tanker | |
| 9 May | United Kingdom
|
Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd | Goole, Yorkshire | Fiddown | Coaster | For S Morris Ltd, Dublin |
| 1 June | United States
|
Philadelphia Navy Yard | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Washington | North Carolina-class battleship | |
| 13 June | United States
|
New York Naval Shipyard | Brooklyn, New York | North Carolina | North Carolina-class battleship | |
| 29 July | Germany
|
Schichau | Königsberg | Falke | Bussard-class seaplane tender | For the Luftwaffe |
| 1 August |  Australia
|
Cockatoo Island Dockyard | Sydney | Bathurst | Bathurst-class corvette | |
| 5 August | United Kingdom
|
Barrow-in-Furness | Erne | Black Swan-class sloop | ||
| 10 August | Australia
|
Mort's Dock and Engineering Co | Sydney | Lismore | Bathurst-class corvette | |
| 19 August | United Kingdom
|
R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd | Newcastle upon Tyne | Empire Bronze | Tanker | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 2 September | Germany
|
Schichau | Königsberg | Hans Albrecht Wedel | Hans Albrecht Wedel-class light seaplane tender | For the Luftwaffe |
| 15 September | United Kingdom
|
Cochrane & Sons | Selby | Celia | Shakespearian-class trawler | For Royal Navy |
| 1 October |  India
|
Sutlej | Black Swan-class sloop | |||
| 2 October | Germany
|
Ch. de St. Nazaire Penhoet | Saint-Nazaire | Jupiter | Sans Souci-class light seaplane tender | Former French Sans Souci |
| 3 October | United Kingdom
|
J L Thompson & Sons Ltd | Sunderland | Empire Breeze | Cargo ship | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 16 October | United Kingdom
|
Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd | Goole | Empire Cliff | Coaster | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 25 October | Australia
|
Mort's Dock and Engineering Co | Sydney | Burnie | Bathurst-class corvette | |
| 30 October | Germany
|
Ch. de St. Nazaire Penhoet | Saint-Nazaire | Saturn | Sans Souci-class light seaplane tender | Former French Sans Reproche |
| 13 November | United Kingdom
|
A & J Inglis Ltd | Glasgow | Empire Deep | Coaster | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 13 November | United Kingdom
|
A & J Inglis Ltd | Glasgow | Empire Gat | Coaster | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 16 November | Australia
|
Cockatoo Island Dockyard | Sydney | Goulburn | Bathurst-class corvette | |
| 16 November | India
|
Jumna | Black Swan-class sloop | |||
| 21 November | United Kingdom
|
Lithgows Ltd | Port Glasgow | Empire Comet | Cargo ship | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 21 November | United Kingdom
|
Lithgows Ltd | Port Glasgow | Empire Dew | Cargo ship | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 27 November | United States
|
Sun Shipbuilding | Rio Hudson | C3 merchant freighter | Converted to escort carrier HMS Avenger in 1942 | |
| 28 November | United Kingdom
|
Ibis | Black Swan-class sloop | |||
| 30 October | Germany
|
Ch. de St. Nazaire Penhoet | Saint-Nazaire | Merkur | Sans Souci-class light seaplane tender | Former French Sans Peur |
| 30 October | Germany
|
Ch. de St. Nazaire Penhoet | Saint-Nazaire | Uranus | Sans Souci-class light seaplane tender | Former French Sans Pareil |
| 10 December | Australia
|
Williamstown Naval Dockyard | Williamstown, Victoria | Ballarat | Bathurst-class corvette | |
| 10 December | United States | Bethlehem Steel | Sparrows Point, Maryland | Robin Doncaster | Type C2-S cargo ship | Built for Robin Line, but requisitioned on completion and delivered to Ministry of War Transport as Empire Curlew. |
| 14 December | United Kingdom
|
William Doxford & Son | Sunderland, Co Durham | Empire Dawn | Cargo ship | For Ministry of War Transport |
| 14 December | United States
|
Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Hornet | Yorktown-class aircraft carrier | |
| 18 December | United States
|
Sun Shipbuilding | Chester, Pennsylvania | Rio Parana | C3 merchant freighter | Converted to escort carrier HMS Biter in 1942 |
| 27 December | United Kingdom
|
William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd | Sunderland | Empire Cloud | Cargo ship | For Ministry of War Transport |
| Date uncertain | Germany
|
D W Kremer Sohn | Elmshorn | Else | coastal Tanker | For Kriegsmarine |
| Date uncertain | Germany
|
Lübecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft | Lübeck | Friedrich Bischoff | Cargo ship | For Argo Reederei Richard Adler & Co |
| Date uncertain | Germany
|
Nobiskrug Werft | Rendsburg | Justinian | Cargo ship | For Hilmar Reksten, Bergen, Norway. Seized on completion in May 1942 |
| Date uncertain | Germany
|
Norderwerft Koser und Meyer | Hamburg | Karl Meyer | Karl Meyer-class seaplane tender | For the Luftwaffe |
| Date uncertain | Germany
|
Norderwerft Koser und Meyer | Hamburg | Max Stinsky | Karl Meyer-class seaplane tender | For the Luftwaffe |
| Date uncertain |  Netherlands
|
Van Diepen Scheepswerf Gebroeders NV | Waterhuizen | Caribe II | Cargo ship | For S G Hallstrom, Amsterdam. |
See also[]
| Ship events in 1940 | |||||||||||
| Ship launches: | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
| Ship commissionings: | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
| Ship decommissionings: | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
| Shipwrecks: | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
The original article can be found at List of ship launches in 1940 and the edit history here.