Wreck graveyard at Ekenabben

From the 1780s until 1836 a number of ships were deliberately sunk to form a barrier in the entrance to Karlskrona. It was a kind of way of recycling ships that were no longer profitable to repair. The wrecks are historically important but today they are invisible and inaccessible at the bottom of the sea. Several of the wrecks are popular diving destinations and one site, known as the Wreck graveyard, lies in Djupasund between Sturkö and Tjurkö. Work on this barrier started in 1785 and it includes renowned shipbuilder Fredrik Henrik af Chapman’s prototype for the ship of the line Wasa (not to be confused with the royal flagship Vasa) which saw the start of the intense shipbuilding period in Karlskrona in the early 1780s. A few years ago, the possibility was explored of setting up a diving park in Djupasund where visitors could be guided to the bottom by signs and with information about the ship details that can be seen and their history. There is more information on the Karlskrona municipality website.