Welding inevitably introduces the residual stresses which affect the fatigue strength of the joint structure. The mitigation of fatigue strength depends on the residual stress magnitude and distribution. Stress relief analyses are of practical interest for all cyclic loaded welded structures, such as ships and offshore structures. In order to estimate the effects of relaxation of residual stresses in the welded structure, this paper presents a finite element analysis procedure and experimental results for the welded structure. Cruciform specimens joint by MAG welding have been tested to measure the released stress. Relieved welding residual stresses obtained by finite element analysis are compared with those measured by experiment.