Olympia - Caribe I - Regal Empress

 

 

 

This page is postcard history of the Olympia built for the Greek Line in 1953. She subsequently served as Caribe I for Commodore Cruise Line, and is currently (2004) in service as the Regal Empress of Imperial Majesty Cruise Line.

 

Olympia was completed by Alexander Stephen & Sons, on the River Clyde, in 1953. She was initially measured at 22979 GRT, and carried 138 First Class, and 1169 Tourist Class passengers. She was registered in Liberia. Parsons turbines of 25000shp drove her at a service speed of 21 knots (23 knots maximum). The maiden voyage left Glasgow for Liverpool and New York on April 16th 1953. Her first voyage on the intended route from Piraeus to New York did not take place until March 1955. In 1961, the route was extended to Haifa. In 1968, Olympia was registered in Greece, and spent more time cruising, this becoming her exclusive occupation in 1970. By this time she had been re-measured at 17400 GRT. She was laid up at Piraeus in 1974, and the Greek Line suffered financial collapse the following year.

 

In 1981, the Olympia was bought by Sally Shipping and refitted, with diesels replacing the steam turbines. She returned to cruising as the Caribe I in 1983, in the Commodore Cruise Line fleet. The elegant funnel had been replaced by exhaust pipes and a ludicrous framework design. Happily, this was later replaced by a more traditional funnel, though lacking the style of the original. In 1993 she was sold to Regal Cruises and renamed Regal Empress. She is now described as being only 14500 GRT. In 2004, she replaced the OceanBreeze (ex-Southern Cross) in Imperial Majesty service.

 

 

Links on this Page:-

Olympia - Greek Line 1953-75

Caribe 1 - Commodore Cruise Line 1981-93

Regal Empress - Regal Cruises 1993-2004

 

Links to Associated Pages:-

Commodore Cruise Line

Greek Line

Cruise Ship Postcards

Ocean Liner Postcards

Simplon Postcards Home Page

 

 

 

Olympia

(Greek Line: 1953-74)

 

The first and only ship built new for the Greek Line was the Olympia. She was completed on the Clyde in 1953. This is a typically excellent photographic card by W.Ralston of Glasgow, presumably on trials in the Firth of Clyde.

 

An early Greek Line official art card of the Olympia.

 

A later Greek Line official art card of the Olympia. This card was posted from Washington DC to Cyprus on December 27th, 1957.

 

A variation on the card above.

 

Greek Line official card of the Olympia.

 

An excellent aerial Greek Line official card of the Olympia. printed in Greece. It is a tragedy that the stylish funnel was lost when she was sold in 1982, after being laid up since 1974. She has subsequently sailed as the Caribe I and the Regal Empress.

 

This official Greek Line card shows the Olympia with the Queen Anna Maria, the complete Greek Line fleet towards the end, which came with the financial collapse of the line in 1975. Queen Anna Maria was sold to become the Carnivale, and still operates on charter as the Topaz for Thomson Cruises.

 

 

 

 

 

Caribe I

(Commodore Cruise Line: 1981-93)

 

Commodore Cruise Line cards of the Olympia as rebuilt as Caribe I (although usually referred to as plain Caribe in Commodore material), showing the sad apology for a funnel.

 

 

 

Editions FISA (Barcelona) card of the Caribe I.

 

Commodore Cruise Line card of the Caribe I, now with a funnel again.

 

 

 

 

 

Regal Empress

(Regal Cruises: 1993-2004)

 

 

Regal Cruises card of the Regal Empress, livery little changed from Commodore days. A crown was later added to the funnel.

 

An oversized Regal Cruises card of the Regal Empress, shown here at 85% the size of standard sized cards on the page.

 

Regal Cruises card of the Regal Empress.

 

An oversized Regal Cruises card of the Regal Empress, shown here at 85% the size of standard sized cards on the page.

 

Further Regal Cruises postcards of the Regal Empress.

 

 

 

Simplon Postcards serial number sc2096, issued June 1997, of the Regal Empress.

Photograph is by Clive Harvey, arriving Key West in March 1995.

 

CT Postcards serial number 049, of the Regal Empress.

Photograph is by Richard Weiss, arriving New York in May 1993.

 

 

I do not have cards in Imperial Majesty colours yet.

 

 

 

 

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