# List of ship launches in 1988

The list of ship launches in 1988 includes a chronological list of all ships launched in 1988.
| | Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class / type | Notes |
| 15 January | United States | Avondale Shipyard | Avondale, Louisiana | Comstock | Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship | |
| 20 January | United Kingdom | Swan Hunter | Wallsend | Chatham | Type 22 frigate | |
| 23 January | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | Topeka | Los Angeles-class submarine | |
| 23 January | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Woolston | Quorn | Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel | |
| 13 February | United States | Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Abraham Lincoln | Nimitz-class aircraft carrier | |
| 17 February | Japan | | | Sachishio | Yūshio-class submarine | |
| 17 March | Finland | Wärtsilä Marine Perno shipyard | Turku | Royal Viking Sun | Cruise ship | For Royal Viking Line |
| 18 March | United Kingdom | Appledore Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd | Appledore | Arco Adur | Dredger | For Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd. |
| 19 March | United States | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | Normandy | Ticonderoga-class cruiser | |
| 19 March | France | | | Latouche-Tréville | Georges Leygues-class frigate | |
| 15 April | United Kingdom | Vickers Shipbuilding | Barrow-in-Furness | Talent | Trafalgar-class submarine | |
| 22 April | West Germany | Husumer Schiffswerft GmbH | Husum | Schleswig-Holstein | ferry | For Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei Föhr-Amrum GmbH |
| 23 April | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | Pennsylvania | Ohio-class submarine | |
| 30 April | Canada | Saint John Shipbuilding | Saint John, New Brunswick | Halifax | Halifax-class frigate | |
| 30 April | West Germany | C. Lühring | Brake | Eversand | | For German Navy |
| 30 April | East Germany | VEB Yachtwerft Berlin | | Zander | Zander-class tug | For Volksmarine |
| 4 June | Japan | | | Hamagiri | Asagiri-class destroyer | |
| 25 June | United States | Todd Pacific Shipyards | San Pedro, California | Ingraham | Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate | |
| 15 July | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Chancellorsville | Ticonderoga-class cruiser | |
| 22 July | Turkey | Gölcük Naval Shipyard | | Yıldırım | Yavuz-class frigate | |
| 31 July | Soviet Union | Șantierul Naval Oltenița | Oltenița | Omskiy-133 | Omskiy type cargo ship | For North Western Fleet Company |
| 8 August | Turkey | Marinewerft | Gölcük | Dolunay | Type 209 submarine | For Turkish Naval Forces |
| 13 August | Yugoslavia | Brodogradevna Industrija | Split, Yugoslavia | Isabella | cruiseferry | For SF Line for Viking Line traffic |
| 15 August | United States | Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Benjamin Isherwood | Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler | |
| 1 September | West Germany | Kröger Shipyard | Schacht-Audorf | Stollergrund | Stollengrund-class multipurpose boats | For German Navy |
| 12 September | Japan | | | Setogiri | Asagiri-class destroyer | |
| 15 September | United States | Avondale Shipyard | Avondale, Louisiana | Tortuga | Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship | |
| 22 October | Finland | Wärtsilä Marine Perno shipyard | Turku, Finland | Athena | cruiseferry | For Rederi AB Slite for Viking Line traffic |
| 23 October | United States | Bath Iron Works | Bath, Maine | Monterey | Ticonderoga-class cruiser | |
| 11 November | United Kingdom | Appledore Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd | Appledore | Mercandia VII | Ferry | For Mercandia Liniere I/S. |
| 12 November | United States | Electric Boat | Groton, Connecticut | Miami | Los Angeles-class submarine | |
| 19 November | France | DCN | Brest | Foudre | Foudre-class landing platform dock | For French Navy |
| 3 December | United States | Avondale Shipyard | Avondale, Louisiana | Leroy Grumman | Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler | |
| 4 December | Soviet Union | | Mykolaiv | Riga | Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier | Renamed Varyag in 1990, transferred to PLAN in 1998 |
| 21 December | Japan | | | Abukuma | Abukuma-class destroyer escort | |
| 25 December | Japan | | | Sawagiri | Asagiri-class destroyer | |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Aran | Workboat | For private owner. |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Harvest Reaper | Fishing trawler | For private owner. |
| Unknown date | Netherlands | K Damen | Boven-Hardinxveld | Konarak | Hendijan-class vessel | For Islamic Republic of Iran Navy |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Maid of the Forth | Ferry | For private owner. |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Miss Westmorland | Ferry | For Windermere Lake Cruises. |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Pill Hobbler | Launch | For Pill Hobbler Marine Services Ltd. |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Purbeck Gem | Passenger ship | For Robert A. Hale. |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | David Abels Boatbuilders Ltd. | Bristol | Surta | Steam launch | For private owner. |