What Happened to the Cruise Ship Olympia?

By Alice Nichols

The Cruise Ship Olympia: A Brief History

The S/S Olympia was a luxury cruise ship built in 1927. It was originally owned by the White Star Line, the same company that owned the ill-fated RMS Titanic. The Olympia was designed to be a flagship of White Star’s fleet and was intended to provide luxurious cruises for wealthy passengers.

Over the years, the ship had several owners, including the Greek shipping company Epirotiki Lines and then Costa Crociere. During its time under Epirotiki Lines, it underwent refurbishment and modernization to make it more suitable for cruising in the Mediterranean Sea.

However, things did not go according to plan for the Olympia. In 1999, it suffered engine problems and had to be towed back to port in Piraeus, Greece. Despite repairs being made and certification from a nautical engineer that it was safe to sail again, the Olympia never returned to service.

In 2003, it was sold by Costa Crociere and subsequently scrapped at an Indian shipyard in 2004 after being towed across the Atlantic Ocean from Italy. The scrap metal from its dismantling was sold as scrap iron at a local marketplace in India.

Though some of its parts were salvaged before it left Italy, there is no trace of what remains of S/S Olympia today. The cruise ship is now nothing more than a memory of past luxury cruising days gone by.

Conclusion

What happened to the Cruise Ship Olympia? After suffering engine problems in 1999, it never returned to service despite repairs being made and certification from an engineer that it was safe for sailing again. In 2003, it was sold off and scrapped at an Indian shipyard in 2004 after being towed across the Atlantic Ocean from Italy with its parts being salvaged before leaving Italy – leaving no trace of what remains today other than memories of past luxury cruising days gone by.