The list of ship launches in 1842 includes a chronological list of some ships launched in 1842.
| Date | Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January | John Scott & Sons | Greenock | Brahmin | East Indiaman | For private owner.[1] [2] | ||
| 11 January | J. W. Wilkinson | Newcastle upon Tyne | Nairns | Brig | For Messrs. Henry & Philip Nairn.[3] | ||
| 13 January | Portsmouth Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[4] [5] | |||||
| 17 January | Liverpool | Steamship | For Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.[6] | ||||
| 25 January | Neath Abbey | Steamship | For private owner.[7] | ||||
| 28 January | Messrs. Aeramann, Morgan, and Co. | Bristol | Steamship | For West India Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.[8] | |||
| 29 January | A. Hall & Co. | Aberdeen | Clipper | For Yule & Co. | |||
| 29 January | Messrs. Duthie | Aberdeen | Newcastle | Schooner | For Mr. Leslie. | ||
| 29 January | Walter Hood & Co. | Aberdeen | Seaton | Barque | For private owners.[9] | ||
| 31 January | A. Hall & Co. | Aberdeen | Queen of the Isles | Barque | For private owners. | ||
| 31 January | John Scott & Sons | Greenock | Topaz | Schooner | For private owner.[10] | ||
| January | Bowling | Bowling | Barque | For private owner.[11] | |||
| January | Johnson | Bideford | Prince of Wales | Merchantman | For private owner.[12] | ||
| January | E. Dixon | Sunderland | Yar | Merchantman | For Squires & Co.[13] | ||
| 10 February | J.Winram. | Douglas | Paddle steamer | For Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. | |||
| 26 February | Messrs. Smith's | Newcastle upon Tyne | Ellenborough | Merchantman | For private owner.[14] | ||
| 26 February | Bombay | Frigate | For British East India Company.[15] [16] | ||||
| 26 February | Joseph Steel | Liverpool | Viscount Sandon | Full-rigged ship | For Messrs. Taylor, Potter & Co.[17] | ||
| 28 February | Chatham Dockyard | Paddle steamer | For Royal Navy.[18] | ||||
| 5 March | Straits Settlements | Goldie | Singapore | Zoe | Merchantman | For private owner.[19] | |
| 24 March | Pembroke Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[20] | |||||
| 28 March | Devonport Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[21] | |||||
| 28 March | Aeramann, Morgan & Co. | Bedminster | Steamship | For private owner.[22] | |||
| 29 March | Portsmouth Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[23] | |||||
| 29 March | Sheerness Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[24] | |||||
| March | T. Stothard | Sunderland | Glide | Snow | For John Meldrum & Sherinton Foster.[25] | ||
| March | John Ray & John Riseborough | Sunderland | William Packet | Snow | For Barber & Co.[26] | ||
| 9 April | Messrs. George Lunnell & Company | Hotwells | Steamship | For private owner.[27] | |||
| 11 April | William Bayley & Co. | Ipswich | Laura Ann | Schooner | For Isiah Richmond.[28] | ||
| 12 April | Johnathan Laird | Birkenhead | Paddle frigate | For Mexican Navy.[29] | |||
| 12 April |  United States | Samuel Hall | East Boston, Massachusetts | Schooner | For Russell & Company. | ||
| 16 April | United States | New York Navy Yard | Brig | For United States Navy. | |||
| 16 April | United States | Gosport Navy Yard | Brig | For United States Navy. | |||
| 25 April | William Jones | Aihfawr | Eliza Brindley | Schooner | For private owner.[30] | ||
| 26 April | United States | Boston Navy Yard | Brig | For United States Navy. | |||
| 26 April | Messrs. M. & D. Cherry | Hull | Betsey | Schooner | For Messrs. Robert Kiddey & Co.[31] | ||
| 26 April | Robert Evans | Gadlys | Gwen Evans | Barque | For private owner. | ||
| 26 April | Messrs. Wilson & Co. | Liverpool | Steamship | For Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.[32] [33] | |||
| 26 April | Richard A. Pritchard | Glan-y-don | John Thomas | Schooner | For private owner. | ||
| 26 April | Hickson | Cork | Oriental Queen | East Indiaman | For private owner.[34] [35] | ||
| 5 May | United States | New York Navy Yard | Frigate | For United States Navy. | |||
| 11 May | John Gibson | Hull | John Gibson | Brig | For private owner.[36] | ||
| 14 May | Gowan | Berwick upon Tweed | Berwick Castle | Barque | For private owner.[37] | ||
| 24 May | United States | Boston Navy Yard | For United States Navy. | ||||
| 24 May | Solombalskaya Shipyard | Archangelsk | For Imperial Russian Navy. | ||||
| 25 May | Hippolyte Louis Edouard Prétot | Brest | Brig | For French Navy.[38] | |||
| May | J. H. Robson | Sunderland | Ann | Brigantine | For J. H. Robson.[39] | ||
| 8 June | Steamship | For private owner.[40] | |||||
| 23 June | Brest | For French Navy.[41] | |||||
| June | T. Young | South Shields | Protemelia | Merchantman | For private owner.[42] | ||
| 7 July |  France | Toulon | Steamship | For private owner.[43] | |||
| 9 July | Messrs. Green, Wigram & Green | Blackwall | Prince of Wales | East Indiaman | For private owner.[44] | ||
| 11 July | Speakman | Marsh End | Jane and Esther | Brig | For Messrs. William and John Humber.[45] | ||
| 21 July | Messrs. Green, Wigram & Green | Blackwall | Queen | East Indiaman | For private owner.[46] | ||
| 23 July | Coppin | Londonderry | Steamship | For private owner.[47] | |||
| 23 July | Brest | For French Navy.[48] | |||||
| 25 July | Chatham Dockyard | For Royal Navy. | |||||
| 25 July | Chatham Dockyard | For Royal Navy. | |||||
| 26 July | United States | Portsmouth Navy Yard | Sloop-of-war | For United States Navy. | |||
| 26 July | I. D. Vorobyov | Nicholaieff | For Imperial Russian Navy. | ||||
| July | Colony of Nova Scotia | Londonderry | Bulwark | Brigantine | For private owner.[49] | ||
| July | H. & G. Barrick | Whitby | China | Merchantman | For private owner.[50] | ||
| 10 August | Cherbourg | Frigate | For French Navy.[51] | ||||
| 23 August | Portsmouth Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[52] | |||||
| 29 August | Sligo | Lady Anne Wynne | Brig | For William Kernaghan.[53] | |||
| August | J. Storey | Sunderland | Cambridge | Merchantman | For J. Storey. | ||
| August | Colony of New Brunswick | Saint John | Ceylon | Barque | For private owner.[54] | ||
| 4 September | Colony of Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Islands | Diamond | Barque | For private owner.[55] | ||
| 5 September | France | Lorient | Steamship | For French Navy.[56] | |||
| 6 September | Plymouth Dockyard | For Royal Navy. | |||||
| 6 September | Portsmouth Dockyard | For Royal Navy.[57] | |||||
| 6 September | Pembroke Dockyard | For Royal Navy. | |||||
| 8 September | Messrs. R. Steele & Co. | Greenock | Steamship | For British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.[58] [59] | |||
| 22 September | Province of Canada | Paddle steamer | For Royal Navy. | ||||
| 23 September | Charles Connell & Sons. | Belfast | John Cunningham | Brig | For private owner.[60] | ||
| 23 September | Coutts | Walker | Steamship | For private owner.[61] | |||
| September | United States | Grinnell & Minturn | New York | Ashburton | Merchantman | For private owner.[62] | |
| 5 October | Messrs. Humprey's | Wilcolmlee | Lady Sale | East Indiaman | For private owner.[63] | ||
| 6 October | Watson | Pallion | Castle Eden | Full-rigged ship | For Messrs. Greenwell & Packer.[64] | ||
| 6 October | William Coulson | Hull | Dahlia | Sloop | For private owner.[65] | ||
| 19 October | Messrs. J. Brown & Co. | Kirkcaldy | Problem | Sailboat | For Mr. Dempster.[66] | ||
| 21 October | Chatham Dockyard | Third rate | For Royal Navy. | ||||
| 24 October | Messrs. Thomas Wingate & Co. | Broomielaw | Paddle steamer | For Hull and Leith Steam Packet Company.[67] [68] | |||
| 29 October | Hocking | Stonehouse | Hannah Codner | Schooner | For private owner.[69] | ||
| 31 October | Brest | For French Navy.[70] | |||||
| October | Rodham & Todd | Sunderland | Jane | Snow | For Potts & Co. | ||
| October | Colony of Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Island | Maria | Brig | For private owner. | ||
| 3 November | Messrs. Wright, Plummer & Co. | Hull | Grace Darling | Schooner | For private owner.[71] | ||
| 4 November | Robert Innes | Leith | Alice | Barque | For R. F. Davidson.[72] | ||
| 5 November | Messrs. Wake, Sissons & Sons | Goole | Joseph Alexander | Sloop | For William Briggs.[73] | ||
| 24 November | Ramsgate | Man-of-war | For Royal Sicilian Navy.[74] | ||||
| 25 November | Galway | Father Mathew | Schooner | For private owner.[75] | |||
| November | United States | Baltimore, Maryland | Enoch Turley | Pilot boat | For Gus Clampitt, George Conwell, William Edwards, James R. Kelley, John H. Kelley, John S. Kelly, Harry Long, John Maull, James A. Orton, Harry M. Parker, George W. Pride, Morgan B. Saunders, Charles D. Schellenger, Luster D. Schellenger, Peter R. Schellenger, George Wallace, Lew Wallace, Samuel West, and John West. | ||
| 3 December | Laird | North Birkenhead | Guide | Brig | For British East India Company.[76] | ||
| 3 December | Laird | North Birkenhead | The Prince | Lightship | For Liverpool Dock Trust. | ||
| 6 December | France | Chantiers Augustin Normand | Havre de Grâce | Napoléon | Steamship | For Frédéric Sauvage. | |
| December | Colony of New Brunswick | Messrs. W. & J. Lawton | Saint John | Pandora | Barque | For private owner.[77] | |
| Spring | Messrs. Gordons & Co | Deptford | Steamship | For private owner.[78] | |||
| Spring | River Clyde | James Campbell | Barque | For private owner.[79] | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Adele | Merchantman | For Petchell & Co.[80] [81] | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Alexandrina | Merchantman | For Blair & Co. | |||
| Unknown date | Austin & Mills | Sunderland | Ann | Schooner | For Ogle & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | J. Teasdale | Sunderland | Ann and Mary | Schooner | For B. Green.[82] | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Anna Robertson | Barque | For Mr. Robertson. | |||
| Unknown date | Laing & Simey | Sunderland | Arrietta | Merchantman | For Laing & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | "Canada" | Merchantman | For private owner. | ||||
| Unknown date | Lightfoot | Sunderland | Cassandra | Merchantman | For T. Potter. | ||
| Unknown date | Bombay | Colaba | Lightship | For British East India Company. | |||
| Unknown date | W. Wilkinson | Sunderland | Commodore | Merchantman | For Hay & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | Hull & Sikes | Sunderland | Croxdale | Merchantman | For H. Dixon. | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Diadem | Merchantman | For T. Brown. | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Dublin | Barque | For Deaker & Edmonds. | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Elizabeth | Barque | For Lawson & Co. | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Elizabeth Thompson | Barque | For Mr. Thompson. | |||
| Unknown date | J. Haswell | Sunderland | Excavator | Schooner | For W. Cowan. | ||
| Unknown date | France | Cherbourg | Cutter | For French Navy[83] | |||
| Unknown date | Tindall | Scarborough | Barque | For Mr. Tindall. | |||
| Unknown date | United States | William Easby | Washington, Virginia | Cutter | For United States Revenue Marine. | ||
| Unknown date | T. S. Dixon | Sunderland | Grace | Schooner | For T. Dixon. | ||
| Unknown date | Rotterdam | Full-rigged ship | For Royal Netherlands Navy.[84] | ||||
| Unknown date | Vlissingen | Sixth rate | For Royal Netherlands Navy.[85] | ||||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Hewson | Snow | For Mr. Hewson. | |||
| Unknown date | Peter Austin | Sunderland | Isabella | Merchantman | For Palmer & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | United States | Brown & Bell | New York | Paddle steamer | For private owner. | ||
| Unknown date | Austin & Mills | Sunderland | Judith Allan | Full-rigged ship | For John Allan. | ||
| Unknown date | Hylton | Kirtons | Brig | For C. S. Kirton. | |||
| Unknown date | Vlissingen | Full-rigged ship | For Royal Netherlands Navy.[86] | ||||
| Unknown date | Dan Jones and Levi Moffitt | Mississippi River | Maid of Iowa | Sternwheeler | For Dan Jones and Levi Moffitt. | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Mary | Schooner | For Mr. Buchanan. | |||
| Unknown date | Paddle steamer | For British East India Company.[87] | |||||
| Unknown date | Green, Wigram's & Green | Blackwall | Paddle frigate | For Mexican Navy. | |||
| Unknown date | Liverpool | Paddle steamer | For Indian Navy.[88] | ||||
| Unknown date | T. Gales | Sunderland | New Zealand | Barque | For P. Laing. | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Norval | Merchantman | For Mr. Greenwell. | |||
| Unknown date |  Denmark | Andreas Schifter | Orlogsværftet | Brig | For Royal Danish Navy. | ||
| Unknown date | Bishop & Simonson | New York | Paddle steamer | For James P. Allaire. | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Pansy | Merchantman | For J. Allcock. | |||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Paragon | Snow | For Mr. Hodgson. | |||
| Unknown date | Thompson & Pearson | Sunderland | Prince of Wales | Merchantman | For White & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | Cemaes | Prince of Wales | Schooner | For private owner.[89] | |||
| Unknown date | J. Mackey | Sunderland | Prince Oscar | Snow | For Mr. Lawsons. | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Princess | Brigantine | For W. Briggs. | |||
| Unknown date | Cochin | Rajasthan | full-rigged ship | For private owner.[90] | |||
| Unknown date | Hylton | Rambler | Brig | For private owner. | |||
| Unknown date | R. & H. Green | Blackwall Yard | Renown | Barque | For private owner. | ||
| Unknown date | Seaham | Revenge | Brig | For private owner. | |||
| Unknown date | R. Robinson | Sunderland | Robinson | Brig | For Mr. Robinson. | ||
| Unknown date | R. Hutchinson | Sunderland | Sabina | Barque | For private owner. | ||
| Unknown date | T. Rountree | Sunderland | Saint Helena | Snow | For Mr. Rountree. | ||
| Unknown date | Bombay | Steamship | For private owner.[91] | ||||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Stag | Merchantman | For R. Green. | |||
| Unknown date | Oregon Country | Felix Hathaway | Willamette River | Schooner | For Felix Hathaway. | ||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Sylph | Snow | For private owner. | |||
| Unknown date | Francis Oliver | Sunderland | Templar | Full-rigged ship | For Ingleby & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | Constantinople | Second rate | For Ottoman Navy.[92] | ||||
| Unknown date | Laing & Simey | Sunderland | Underley | Barque | For Laing & Co. | ||
| Unknown date | United States | Norfolk Navy Yard | Steamship | For United States Navy. | |||
| Unknown date | Cuthbert Potts & brothers | Sunderland | Utility | Brig | For private owner. | ||
| Unknown date | United States | Schooner | For United States Coast Survey. | ||||
| Unknown date | Sunderland | Venus | schooner | For Mr. Page. | |||
| Unknown date | J. Barkes | Sunderland | Verbena | Snow | For Mr. Anderson. | ||
| Unknown date | Benjamin Brown | Sunderland | Victory | Barque | For Brown & Co. | ||
| Unknown date |  Portugal | Schooner | For Portuguese Navy.[93] | ||||
| Unknown date | Benjamin Hodgson | Sunderland | Watson | Schooner | For private owner. |