The shipbuilding industry in Karlskrona has a long tradition. It began with a shipyard on Wämö, built in 1680. In 1684, a new shipyard was established on Trossö and Lindholmen, where the shipyard and the naval base have been located until today. Over the years, the shipyard has built nearly 500 vessels. Shipbuilding had its heyday during the time of Fredric Henric af Chapman, from 1782 to 1791. The raw material has changed over time from oak wood to steel and now, in the 21st century, to carbon fiber-reinforced polyester plastic.

In and around the World Heritage Site of the Naval Port of Karlskrona, there are approximately sixty deliberately sunk wrecks. They are closely linked to the specific values that underlie the designation of the World Heritage Site. Some of the ships were built in Karlskrona and have been part of the innovative shipbuilding development that continues today. When the ships were no longer profitable to repair, they were sunk in landfills and barriers. This contributed to the city's planning, development, and defense.

Many of the buildings identified as particularly valuable in the World Heritage Site were built for production and logistics around shipbuilding, as well as to make the ships ready for sailing and armed for war. It is thus possible to trace the history of the ships from start to finish while increasing understanding of the World Heritage Site's buildings and environments.

The wrecks have long been known and are depicted on old maps. Archaeological investigations also show that many of the wrecks are still there. However, several wrecks cannot be dived on because they are buried under excavated material or in military protected areas.

Several wrecks outside the naval base can be dived on, for example wrecks that have been used to block off the entrances to Karlskrona. Between Ekenabben’s pier and the island of Tjurkö, at a depth of 10-12 meters, there are the wrecks of six intentionally sunk ships from the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the wrecks is Chapman's prototype ship-of-the-line, the Wasa. This ship was built at the shipyard and marks the beginning of the short but intense shipbuilding period in Karlskrona from the early 1780s, which culminates with Gustav III's Russian War from 1788 to 1790. The ship-of-the-line Wasa participated, among other things, in the Battle of Hogland. The ship ends its days when it is sunk in Djupasund as part of the defense of Karlskrona.