The list of ship launches in 1997 includes a chronological list of all ships launched in 1997.
| Date | Ship | Class / type | Builder | Location | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January | Katrine Mærsk | K-class container ship | Odense Staalskibsvaerft | Lindø | For Maersk Line | |
| 18 January | McFaul | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | ||
| 28 February | Sisler | Watson-class vehicle cargo ship | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company | San Diego, California | ||
| February | Rotterdam | Rotterdam-class amphibious transport dock | Koninklijke Schelde Groep | Flushing | ||
| 6 March | City of Cardiff | Dredger | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | For United Marine Dredging Ltd. [1] | |
| 14 March | Bonhomme Richard | Wasp-class amphibious assault ship | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | ||
| 26 March | Superfast III | ROPAX ferry | Kvaerner Masa-Yards | Turku | For Superfast Ferries | |
| 27 March | Bob Hope | Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship | Avondale Shipyard | Avondale, Louisiana | ||
| March | SuperSeaCat Two | MDV1200-class monofull fast ferry | Fincantieri | Genoa | For Sea Containers | |
| 4 April | Kirsten Mærsk | K-class container ship | Odense Staalskibsvaerft | Lindø | For Maersk Line | |
| 6 April | Betagas | LNG tanker | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | For Betagas Partenreederei. [2] | |
| 17 April | Disney Magic | cruise ship | Fincantieri | Marghera | For Disney Cruise Lines [3] | |
| 24 April | Superfast IV | ROPAX ferry | Kvaerner Masa-Yards | Turku | For Superfast Ferries | |
| April | Chang Chien | Cheng Kung-class frigate | China Shipbuilding | Kaohsiung | ||
| 3 May | Donald Cook | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | ||
| 3 May | Schleswig-Holstein | train ferry | Van der Giessen de Noord | Krimpen aan den IJssel | For Scandlines | |
| 10 May | Te Mana | Anzac-class frigate | Tenix Defence | Williamstown, Victoria | For Royal New Zealand Navy | |
| 20 May | Amber Lagoon | Amber Lagoon-class freight ship | Shanghai Shipyard & Chengxi Shipyard Company | Shanghai | For MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping [4] | |
| 7 June | Peene Ore | bulk carrier | Daewoo Heavy Industries | Okpo | [5] | |
| 8 June | Aconit | La Fayette-class frigate | ||||
| 1 July | Deutschland | train ferry | Van der Giessen de Noord | Krimpen aan den IJssel | For Scandlines | |
| 5 July | City of Chichester | Dredger | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | For United Marine Dredging Ltd. [6] | |
| 11 July | Mercury | cruise ship | Meyer Werft | Papenburg | For Celebrity Cruises | |
| 26 July | Watson | Watson-class vehicle cargo ship | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company | San Diego, California | ||
| 31 July | Sovereign Mærsk | S-class container ship | Odense Staalskibsvaerft | Lindø | For Maersk Line | |
| 9 August | Skåne | ro-ro/train ferry | Astilleros Españoles | Puerto Real | For SweFerry Ab [7] | |
| 19 August | Yūdachi | Murasame-class destroyer | ||||
| 21 August | Kirisame | Murasame-class destroyer | ||||
| 28 August | Petrojarl Banff | FSPO | Hyundai Mipo Dockyard | Ulsan | [8] | |
| 1 September | Connecticut | Seawolf-class submarine | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | ||
| 1 September | Vision of the Seas | Vision-class cruise ship | Chantiers de l’Atlantique | Saint Nazaire | For Royal Caribbean International | |
| 18 September | Michishio | Oyashio-class submarine | ||||
| 27 September | Neuwerk | multi-purpose vessel | Volkswerft | Stralsund | For Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure | |
| 27 September | Shanghai Express | London Express-class container ship | Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries | Koje | For Hapag-Lloyd [9] | |
| 29 September | Fulda | Frankenthal-class minehunter | Abeking & Rasmussen | For German Navy | ||
| 2 October | Dahl | Watson-class vehicle cargo ship | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company | San Diego, California | ||
| 4 October | Higgins | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | ||
| 21 October | Fisher | Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship | Avondale Shipyard | Avondale, Louisiana | ||
| 21 October | Purple Beach | Amber Lagoon-class freight ship | Shanghai Shipyard & Chengxi Shipyard Company | Shanghai | For MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping | |
| 24 October | Susan Mærsk | S-class container ship | Odense Staalskibsvaerft | Lindø | For Maersk Line | |
| October | Shenzhen | Type 051B destroyer | Dalian Shipyard | Dalian | ||
| 12 November | Porter | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | ||
| 15 November | Healy | Polar icebreaker | Avondale Shipyard | Westwego, Louisiana | ||
| 29 November | Düsseldorf Express | London Express-class container ship | Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries | Koje | For Hapag-Lloyd [10] | |
| November | Lesley PG | tanker | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | For Giles W.Pritchard-Gordon & Co. Ltd. [11] | |
| Date unknown | Faoilean | Workboat | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For private owner. [12] | |
| Date unknown | Ferryman | Launch | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For private owner. [13] | |
| Date unknown | Kota Wajar | container ship | Singapore | |||
| Date unknown | MCS Lenie | Tug | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For Maritime Craft Services (Clyde) Ltd. [14] | |
| Date unknown | Scenic II | Passenger launch | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For Pulteney Cruises Ltd. [15] | |
| Date unknown | Taunt | Ferry | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For private owner. [16] | |
| Date unknown | Warbler | Ferry | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | For private owner. [17] |