Regal Empress

MS Regal Empress was a passenger ship whose career spanned more than five decades under several names and operating companies. Built in Glasgow in 1953 by Alexander Stephen & Sons for the Greek Line, she entered service as SS Olympia. The ship was the only vessel expressly constructed for the Greek Line and was intended primarily for transatlantic service between Greece and North America. Her first voyage departed Glasgow for Liverpool and New York in October 1953, while her planned Piraeus–New York service began in March 1955 after legal complications delayed the launch of that route. Olympia was designed for approximately 1,300 passengers, with separate First Class and Tourist Class accommodations. Steam turbines produced a service speed of about 21 knots. During the 1950s and 1960s she operated transatlantic voyages with multiple intermediate calls, including frequent visits to Halifax, where she made 86 calls and carried immigrant families. The route was extended to Haifa in 1961. By the late 1960s the ship was increasingly used for cruising, and cruising became her sole activity by 1970. Greek Line withdrew her from service in 1974 amid the company’s financial difficulties, and Olympia was laid up at Piraeus. The vessel returned to service after a major transformation. In 1981, Sally Shipping acquired her with plans for a floating-hotel and cruise operation. She was renamed Caribe, received diesel engines in place of her original steam turbines, and underwent extensive interior reconstruction. A pool area became the Mermaid Bar, several public rooms were converted into suites, and other spaces were adapted for entertainment and casino use. The ship’s paneled library on Promenade Deck was one of the notable interiors that remained substantially intact. When the floating-hotel plan was abandoned, the vessel resumed cruising as Caribe I in the Commodore Cruise Line fleet in 1983. After further ownership changes, the ship was sold to Regal Cruises in 1993 and renamed Regal Empress. She operated seasonally from Port Manatee in Florida and New York City, carrying passengers on cruise itineraries in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Following Regal Cruises’ collapse, Imperial Majesty Cruise Line acquired the vessel and used her for short two-night Bahamas cruises. Her comparatively low operating cost and passenger capacity made her useful for this market, despite her age. Regal Empress was one of the last vintage passenger ships to maintain regular sailings from the United States. She also received popular-media exposure when she appeared in a 2007 episode of MythBusters, where a waterskiing demonstration was conducted from her stern. In September 2008 she was temporarily withdrawn from service and used in support of recovery work following Hurricane Ike, returning to cruise operations in December. Her final voyage took place on 6 March 2009, and Imperial Majesty Cruise Line formally retired her three days later. After being laid up in Freeport, Bahamas, she was sold for demolition. The ship departed for Alang in India in April 2009, was beached there on 24 July, and was dismantled from October 2009 through early 2010. Regal Empress therefore represents both the longevity of postwar ocean liners and the transition from scheduled transatlantic passenger service to lower-cost regional cruising.

The ship that later became Regal Empress was completed in 1953 by Alexander Stephen & Sons on the River Clyde in Glasgow. Named Olympia, she was constructed for the Greek Line and entered the postwar transatlantic passenger trade. Her maiden voyage ran from Glasgow through Liverpool to New York on 20 October 1953. Legal issues delayed her intended Piraeus–New York operation until March 1955. She subsequently served routes connecting Greece and North America, with calls at numerous intermediate ports and an extension to Haifa in 1961. Olympia carried 138 First Class and 1,169 Tourist Class passengers in her original configuration. Parsons steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower gave her a service speed of approximately 21 knots. She was initially registered in Liberia and was later registered in Greece. Her repeated calls at Halifax made her a familiar arrival point for immigrant families; the ship is recorded as having visited Halifax 86 times. As scheduled ocean-liner traffic declined, Olympia was increasingly directed toward cruising. By 1970 cruising had become her exclusive role. Greek Line withdrew her in 1974, and she remained laid up at Piraeus. Greek Line encountered financial collapse the following year, leaving the ship without her original operator. Sally Shipping purchased the vessel in 1981 and planned to combine floating-hotel use with occasional Caribbean cruises. The ship was renamed Caribe and converted from steam to diesel propulsion using Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz engines. Her interiors were substantially altered: the Aegean pool became the Mermaid Bar, several public rooms were converted into suites, and the Derby Room and Taverna area was adapted as a casino. The library on Promenade Deck retained its original character. The hotel project was cancelled, and the ship returned to cruising as Caribe I with Commodore Cruise Line in 1983. The ship’s funnel arrangement changed during the conversion era. An original funnel replacement consisting of decorated exhaust pipes was later replaced by a more conventional funnel in 1988. In 1993 she entered the Regal Cruises fleet as Regal Empress, operating seasonally from Port Manatee and New York City. Her reported tonnage at this stage was approximately 14,500 gross tons. After Regal Cruises collapsed, Imperial Majesty Cruise Line acquired the ship for two-night Bahamas cruises. The older vessel was considered economical to operate and could carry more passengers than Imperial Majesty’s OceanBreeze. Her long service life and vintage appearance made her unusual among ships still conducting regular passenger sailings from the United States. A 2007 MythBusters episode further exposed her to a general audience through a waterskiing experiment conducted from the ship. Regal Empress was taken out of ordinary service in September 2008 to assist with Hurricane Ike recovery efforts in Texas. She returned to service in December but completed her final voyage on 6 March 2009. Imperial Majesty retired her on 9 March. After a short period laid up in Freeport, the ship was sold for scrap and sailed to Alang. She was beached on 24 July 2009, dismantling began in October, and the work was completed in early 2010.

• 2010

  Demolition completed

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Scrapping at Alang was completed in early 2010.

• 2009

  Retirement and final voyage

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  The final voyage took place on 6 March, followed by formal retirement and sale for scrap.

• 2007

  MythBusters appearance

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  The ship appeared in a television demonstration examining whether waterskiing from a cruise ship was possible.

• 2003

  Imperial Majesty operations begin

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Imperial Majesty Cruise Line began operating the vessel on short Bahamas itineraries after acquiring her from the failed Regal Cruises operation.

• 1993

  Renamed Regal Empress

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Regal Cruises acquired the ship and gave her the name by which she became best known.

• 1983

  Return as Caribe I

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  After the floating-hotel plan was abandoned, the ship entered Commodore Cruise Line service as Caribe I.

• 1981

  Conversion to Caribe

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Sally Shipping acquired the ship, renamed her Caribe, replaced the steam turbines with diesel engines, and rebuilt much of the interior.

• 1974

  Greek Line service ends

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Greek Line withdrew Olympia and the ship was laid up at Piraeus.

• 1970

  Cruising becomes exclusive role

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Olympia had transitioned from mixed liner work to cruising as her sole operating role.

• 1961

  Route extended to Haifa

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  The ship’s transatlantic itinerary was extended to include Haifa.

• 1955

  Piraeus–New York service begins

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  After legal delays, Olympia began the route for which she had been intended.

• 1953

  Completion as Olympia

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander Stephen & Sons completed the ship in Glasgow for the Greek Line.

• 1953

  First voyage

  [1]MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org

  The ship sailed from Glasgow via Liverpool to New York on 20 October.

A long-serving passenger vessel repositioned from traditional transatlantic liner service into vintage-oriented Caribbean and Bahamas cruising.

• Ocean liner transportation · 1955

  Transatlantic liner service

  As SS Olympia, the vessel carried First Class and Tourist Class passengers between Greece and North America. Her principal route connected Piraeus with New York and included multiple intermediate calls. The route was later extended to Haifa, reflecting the ship’s role in postwar Mediterranean and transatlantic passenger movement.

• Cruising · 1983

  Caribbean cruise service

  After conversion from an ocean liner into a diesel-powered cruise ship, the vessel operated Caribbean itineraries under the names Caribe I and Regal Empress. The rebuilt ship included suites, bars, entertainment rooms, a casino, and other facilities suited to leisure cruising rather than scheduled immigration and liner traffic.

• Short regional cruises · 2003

  Two-night Bahamas cruises

  Under Imperial Majesty Cruise Line, Regal Empress was used for short cruises to the Bahamas. The service emphasized accessible regional itineraries and benefited from the ship’s relatively low operating cost and passenger capacity compared with the operator’s OceanBreeze.

• 2009

  Retirement and disposalOther

  Background

  After returning from Hurricane Ike recovery support, the aging ship completed her final commercial voyage in March 2009.

  Action taken

  Imperial Majesty retired the vessel, laid her up in Freeport, and sold her for demolition at Alang.

  Aftermath

  The ship was beached in July 2009 and dismantled by early 2010.

  Source

• 2003

  Deployment to short Bahamas cruisesStrategy

  Background

  Regal Cruises collapsed, leaving the ship available for another operator.

  Action taken

  Imperial Majesty Cruise Line acquired Regal Empress for a two-night Bahamas service, using her lower operating cost and larger passenger capacity.

  Aftermath

  The ship remained in commercial service until 2009 and became one of the last vintage passenger ships to sail regularly from the United States.

  Source

• 1993

  Rebranding as Regal EmpressStrategy

  Background

  Following her Commodore-era operation, the vessel changed ownership and required a new commercial identity.

  Action taken

  Regal Cruises acquired the ship and renamed her Regal Empress, operating seasonal departures from Florida and New York.

  Aftermath

  The new identity became the ship’s final operating name and supported her positioning in Caribbean and Bahamas cruising.

  Source

• 1983

  Abandonment of floating-hotel planStrategy

  Background

  Sally Shipping had intended to use the converted ship as a floating hotel with occasional cruises.

  Action taken

  When the hotel plan was cancelled, the vessel was redirected into regular cruising with Commodore Cruise Line as Caribe I.

  Aftermath

  The ship continued operating as a cruise vessel rather than remaining permanently berthed as a hotel.

  Source

• 1981

  Steam-to-diesel conversionGeneration change

  Background

  The former Olympia had been laid up after the decline of her original liner service. Sally Shipping acquired her for a proposed hotel and cruise operation.

  Action taken

  The original Parsons steam turbines were removed and replaced with Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz diesel engines, while extensive interior alterations were made.

  Aftermath

  The ship’s service speed fell to approximately 18 knots, but she gained a configuration more suitable for regional cruising.

  Source

1. 1MS Regal Empressen.wikipedia.org