T.S.S. Olympia

Sold to become Caribe, Caribe I, Regal Empress

Schaal 1:250

With the growing Caribbean cruise industry, Olympia was sold to Sally Shipping GmbH, Bad Schwartau, Germany in 1981, but she remained laid up in Piraeus for another year, but under a German flag. She was towed by the Wotan to Hamburg where she arrived on March 11, 1983, and she received an extensive internal refit readying her for fulltime cruise duties. In addition she received an external makeover, which saw the removal of her funnel, her tripod mast replaced by a modern mast, and her forward and aft kingposts removed in order to turn her into a “modern” streamlined ship. With work complete she received a slight name change and became Caribe I. However, they also replaced her steam turbine engines with new and efficient Klockner-Humbolt-Deutz diesels that would provide 20,270 BHP, giving her a comfortable cruising speed of 18 knots.
Next came a big shock for all those who had sailed on her in the past and dearly loved this fine liner, for a new constructed curved, grilled what you may call a “stylised” funnel was fitted, just aft of where her original funnel had been. It looked hideous!