Harbin Engineering University Ship and Ocean Engineering Experimental Teaching Center originated from the Gravity Type Ship Model Pool Laboratory and Structural Laboratory of the Department of Naval Engineering of the Military Engineering Institute of the People's Liberation Army (HAECO) in 1953. Academician Gu Maoxiang was the founder of the above two laboratories. 2004, the college reformed the grass-roots academic organization, integrated the resources, and established the Ship and Ocean Engineering Experimental Teaching Center. 2008, the Ship and Ocean Engineering Experimental Teaching Center was approved to become a provincial experimental teaching demonstration center in Heilongjiang Province. In 2009, it became the only state-level experimental teaching demonstration center for ship and ocean engineering in the field of ship and ocean engineering. At present, the center consists of basic mechanics laboratory, specialized laboratories of ship and ocean engineering (including ship model towing pool laboratory, engineering structure laboratory, ship maneuverability laboratory and comprehensive test pool laboratory), digital shipbuilding laboratory (ship CAD/CAM laboratory), as well as university students' scientific and technological innovation and practice teaching base.

Relying on the advantages of national key disciplines of ship and ocean engineering and national specialties of ship and ocean engineering, and aiming at cultivating students' engineering practice ability and independent innovation ability, the center has achieved fruitful results in the fields of experimental teaching, scientific research and students' scientific and technological innovation through continuous exploration and reform. Since its establishment, the teachers of the center have completed 51 experimental teaching reforms, won 18 provincial and ministerial teaching achievement awards, published 32 textbooks, 23 self-published experimental textbooks, published nearly 40 teaching papers, and students' scientific and technological innovations have won 79 national awards.

In recent years, based on independent research and development and transformation of scientific research results, teachers of the center have gradually built a series of virtual simulation experimental teaching systems, such as virtual shipyard simulation system, ship handling simulation system, etc., which integrates virtual simulation technology into experimental teaching, and provides an important platform to support the cultivation of students' practical ability and innovation ability.