Located in the Gärdet section of the inner-city district Östermalm, the museum offers a panoramic view of the bay Djurgårdsbrunnsviken. The building was designed by architect Ragnar Östberg and built in 1933–36.

Collections
The museum houses about 900,000 photos, 50,000 objects and 45,000 drawings, all related to the sea, coast, ships and boats, past and present.

A major part of the collection, the boats, are housed in Boat Hall 2 at Galärvarvet in Stockholm. The boat collection ranges from canoes to Skerry cruisers.

On the bottom floor there are, among other things, exhibits on naval history including several detailed models of 18th century ships. The second floor includes exhibits on Swedish commercial fleets.

In the basement is a replica of a cabin in King Gustav III’s ship Amphion, along with the original stern from the ship.