The list of ship launches in 1879 includes a chronological list of some ships launched in 1879.
| Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class / type | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January | United Kingdom | Samuda Brothers | Poplar, London | Orion | Belleisle class battleship | |
| 10 March | United Kingdom | John Elder and Co | Govan, Scotland | Arizona | Passenger ship | Blue Riband holder 1879-1882 |
| 4 September | Germany | Schichauwerft | Danzig | Gneisenau | Three masted Full rigged ship | |
| 17 September | United Kingdom | Chatham Dockyard | Chatham, Kent | Agamemnon | Ajax class battleship | |
| 16 December | United Kingdom | Sheerness Dockyard | Sheerness | Kingfisher | Sloop |
| Ship events in 1879 | |||||||||||
| Ship launches: | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 |
| Ship commissionings: | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 |
| Ship decommissionings: | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 |
| Shipwrecks: | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 |