The dry dock in Suomenlinna is the oldest in Finland and one of the oldest operational dry docks in the world. The construction of the dry dock began in 1750. Ships for the Swedish Coastal Fleet were built there in the 1760s under the supervision of the famous naval architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman.

From 1918 onwards, the State Aircraft Factory used the dock for building the first Finnish airplanes. In the 1930s, the dock’s inner basin was used as a naval submarine base. After the Second World War, Valmet Oy took over the ship-building operations, initially building ships as war reparations to the Soviet Union.

Nowadays the dry dock’s large basin is used for repairing wooden sailing ships. The repairs are carried out by a private association called Viaporin telakka, committed to conserving the knowledge and skills related to old sailing ships and their refurbishment. The area also houses a smithy, a boatbuilder’s yard and a sailmaking room.

Public access to the dry dock area is prohibited. The best place to observe the dry dock and the ships in it is this dry dock observation deck. The large inner basin is emptied and re-flooded twice a year: in autumn as ships enter the dry dock, and in spring when the ships sail out. These events are marked in the event calendar.