The list of ship commissionings in 1961 includes a chronological list of all ships commissioned in 1961.
| Operator | Ship | Class and type | Pennant | Other notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 March | Modified | F148 | ||||
| 15 April | F220 | |||||
| 21 May | CVA-63 | First in class[1] | ||||
| 29 August | LPH-2 | First in class | ||||
| 24 October | F221 | |||||
| 27 October | CVA-64 | |||||
| 22 November | R98 | First in class | ||||
| 25 November | Unique nuclear-powered aircraft carrier | CVAN-65 |