The list of ship decommissionings in 1972 includes a chronological list of all ships decommissioned in 1972.
| Operator | Ship | Flag | Class and type | Fate | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 January | Swedish Lloyd | Hispania | Sweden | ferry | Renamed Saga after sale of the previous Saga to Stena Line | |
| 7 February | Swedish Lloyd | Saga | Sweden | ferry | Sold to Stena Line | Renamed Stena Atlantica |
| 7 May | United States Navy | Cubera | Sold to Venezuela | Renamed ARV Tiburon (S-12) | ||
| 1 July | United States Navy | Wasp | Essex class aircraft carrier | Scrapped | ||
| 26 July | Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan | Ålandsfärjan | Finland | ferry | Scrapped | |
| 28 July | United States Navy | Dealey | Transferred to Uruguay | Renamed ROU 18 De Julio (DE-3) |
| Ship events in 1972 | |||||||||||
| Ship launches: | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
| Ship commissionings: | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
| Ship decommissionings: | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
| Shipwrecks: | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |