The list of ship launches in 1873 includes a chronological list of some ships launched in 1873.

Date	State	Builder	Location	Ship	Class / type	Notes
1 January	United Kingdom	Chatham Dockyard	Chatham	Encounter	Amethyst-class corvette	For the Royal Navy
14 January	United Kingdom	Harland and Wolff	Belfast	Belgic	Passenger ship	For the White Star Line
16 January	New South Wales	John Cuthbert	Millers Point	Renard	Beagle-class schooner	For the Royal Navy
11 February	New South Wales	John Cuthbert	Millers Point	Conflict	Beagle-class schooner	For the Royal Navy
11 February	Trieste	Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino	Trieste	Frundsberg	Corvette	For the Austro-Hungarian Navy
1 March	United Kingdom	Chatham Dockyard	Chatham	Raleigh	Frigate	For the Royal Navy
25 March	United States	William Cramp & Sons	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Indiana	Pennsylvania-class steamship	For the American Steamship Company
26 March	United Kingdom	Chatham Dockyard	Chatham	Fantome	Fantome-class sloop	For the Royal Navy
29 March	United Kingdom	Gourlay Brothers	Dundee	Abbotsford	Passenger ship	For Red Star Line
29 March	United Kingdom	Caird & Company	Greenock	City of Chester	Passenger ship	For Inman Line
19 April	United Kingdom	Devonport Dockyard	Devonport	Amethyst	Amethyst-class corvette	For Royal Navy
23 April	United States			Lucerne	Schooner	For William Mack & others
27 April	United Kingdom	Chatham Dockyard	Chatham, Kent	Albatross	Fantome-class sloop	For Royal Navy
23 May	United Kingdom	Devonport Dockyard	Devonport	Modeste	Amethyst-class corvette	For Royal Navy
28 May	United Kingdom	Robert Stephenson and Company	Newcastle upon Tyne	Eleanor	Paddle steamer	For London and North Western Railway
2 June	Russia	New Admiralty Shipyard	Saint Petersburg	Novgorod	monitor	For Imperial Russian Navy
June	United States	William Cramp & Sons	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Illinois	Pennsylvania-class steamship	For American Steamship Company
5 July	Canada			Alpha	Sternwheeler
28 July	United Kingdom	Raenhill & Co	London	Magallanes	Corvette	For the Chilean Navy
2 August	United Kingdom	Stephens & Sons	Dundee	Bloodhound	Whaler
9 August	United Kingdom	William Simons and Company	Renfrew	Milford	Paddle steamer	For Great Western Railway
26 August	United Kingdom	Robert Napier and Sons	Glasgow	Schiller	Ocean liner	For German Transatlantic Steam Navigation Line
9 September	United Kingdom	Robert Steele & Company	Greenock	Nurnberg	Steamship	For the Norddeutscher Lloyd
10 September	United Kingdom	Portsmouth Dockyard	Portsmouth	Shah	Frigate	For the Royal Navy
18 September	United States	William Cramp & Sons	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Columbus	Steamship
18 September	United States	New York Navy Yard	New York	Swatara	Sloop-of-war	For the United States Navy
2 October	Russia	Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard	Saint Petersburg	General-Admiral	General-Admiral-class cruiser	For the Imperial Russian Navy
23 October	United Kingdom	Royden & Sons	Liverpool	Glengarry	Steamship	[1]
25 October	France	Lorient Shipyard	Lorient	Friedland	Ironclad	For the French Navy
1 November	United Kingdom	Pembroke Dockyard	Pembroke	Egeria	Fantome-class sloop	For the Royal Navy
5 November	United States	Wood, Dialogue & Co	Camden, New Jersey	City Ice Boat No. 3	Icebreaker	For City of Philadelphia
12 November	United Kingdom	Laird Brothers	Birkenhead	Paraná	Gunboat	For the Argentine Navy
13 November	United States	New York Navy Yard	New York City	Alarm	Torpedo boat	For United States Navy
20 November	United Kingdom	Robert Steele	Glasgow	Hesperus	Clipper	For Orient Line
20 November	United Kingdom	Wigram & Sons	Blackwall	Sappho	Fantome-class sloop	For the Royal Navy
22 November	United Kingdom	Aitken & Mansel	Glasgow	Honfleur	Passenger / cargo ship	For London and South Western Railway
22 November	Germany	AG Vulcan	Stettin	Preussen	Preussen-class ironclad	For the Kaiserliche Marine
27 November	United Kingdom	Chatham Dockyard	Chatham	Flying Fish	Fantome-class sloop	For the Royal Navy
3 December	France		Toulon	Richelieu	Central battery ironclad	For the French Navy
6 December	United Kingdom	John Elder & Company	Fairfield	Iberia	Steamship	For the Pacific Steam Navigation Company
23 December	China	Kiangnan Arsenal	Jiangnan Shipyard	Yuyuen	Haian-class frigate	For the Imperial Chinese Navy
30 December	United Kingdom	A. & J. Inglis	Glasgow	Hankow	Paddle Steamer	For the China Navigation Company
Unknown date	Canada		St. Catharines, Canada	Asia	Passenger ship	For Northwestern Transportation Company
Unknown date	United States	John Roach & Sons	Chester, Pennsylvania	City of Waco	Passenger / Cargo ship	For the Mallory Line
Unknown date	United States		Oswego, New York	Daniel Lyons	Schooner
Unknown date	France	Forges et Chantiers de la Mediteranée	Toulon	Fulgerul	Gunboat	For the Romanian Navy
Unknown date	United States			Gila	Sternwheeler	For the Colorado Steam Navigation Company
Unknown date	United States		Portland, Oregon	Governor Grover	Sternwheeler	For Willamette River Navigation Co.
Unknown date	Canada	W S Ellenwood & Co		Grace A. Channon	Schooner	For Henry Channon
Unknown date	United Kingdom	Laing	Sunderland	Kashgar	Cargo liner	For the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.[2]
Unknown date	United Kingdom	J Softley & Co	South Shields	Kenmure Castle	Iron brig-rigged screw steamer	For Messrs T Skinner and Co.[3]
Unknown date	United Kingdom	Laing	Sunderland	Khiva	Cargo liner	For Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.[2]
Unknown date	United States	Neafie & Levy	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Knickerbocker	Tug
Unknown date	United Kingdom	Charlton & Co Ltd	Grimsby	Magna Charta	Paddle steamer	For Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Unknown date	United States	Charles Weidener	Chester, Pennsylvania	Manhattan	Cutter	For United States Revenue Cutter Service
Unknown date	United Kingdom	Robert Napier and Sons	Glasgow	Meiji Maru	Lighthouse tender	For Japanese Government
Unknown date	United Kingdom	Lewis and Stockwell	London	Orwell	Paddle steamer	For Great Eastern Railway
Unknown date	United Kingdom	John I. Thorneycroft & Company	Chiswick	Rap	Torpedo boat	For Royal Norwegian Navy
Unknown date	United States		Bulls Ferry, New Jersey	Shady Side	Steamboat	For Morrisania Steamboat Company
Unknown date	United States	Wyandotte Iron Shipbuilding Works	Wyandotte, Michigan	Sport	Tug	For Eber Brock Ward
Unknown date	United States			St. Peter	Schooner
Unknown date	United Kingdom	A. Leslie and Company	Newcastle upon Tyne	Thomas Dugdale	Paddle steamer	For the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Unknown date	United States	Quale and Martin	Cleveland, Ohio	Vienna	Steamship	For the Cleveland Transportation Company