Zebrano Paneling
From Former Tourist Class Reading Room
SS OLYMPIA (later MV CARIBE, CARIBE I, REGAL EMPRESS)

Items from MV REGAL EMPRESS (ex SS OLYMPIA, MV CARIBE, MV CARIBE I)

Varying Size and Condition -- Priced Accordingly

Beautiful woodwork was a hallmark of the OLYMPIA's decor. Here is the former tourist class reading room as built, paneled with harlequin-patterned Zebrano wood. Photo from David Pressler' "Olympia: The Life and Times of a Greek Goddess".

British-built ships of the post war era had the most sumptuous wood paneling at a time when other nations were switching over to marinite (asbestos), melamine or even painted steel. After the "purge" of the mid-1970s when most of the grand British liners were paraded off to Taiwan for scrap, very few examples of this type of craftsmanship remained. Some ships like the former Shaw Savill SOUTHERN CROSS managed to survive but only after vast refits that stripped the woodwork away. But the former OLYMPIA was left virtually intact when she returned to service as CARIBE I in the early 1980s.. Her lobbies and vestibules, certain public rooms and a handful of cabins were aglow in some of the most stunning woodwork.

A close up of the grains. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

The OLYMPIA's former tourist class reading room was paneled in handsome, harlequin-patterned Zebrano. In the ship's conversion to CARIBE I, the reading room was converted into a gift shop but the paneling was left in place and covered over. All of the panels are stenciled on the back with their location on the ship. Most are in excellent condition, especially for their age. Mostly minor and occasionally major flaws, chips, etc. are noted on each listing to the best of my ability.

***SOLD***Tourist Class Reading Room Panel B: 83.5 by 36.5 Inches. 1/2 Inch Thick. 19 inch wide by 20 inch tall hole cut into it. Price: $215.00 -- THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

***SOLD***Tourist Class Reading Room Panel G: 81.25 by 62.5 Inches. 1/2 Inch Thick. 9 by 6 inch cut out; two 3 by 2.5 inch cut outs. Price: $450.00 -- THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD***. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

***SOLD***Tourist Class Reading Room Panel K: 82 by 36.5 Inches. 1/2 Inch Thick. Excellent with some minor scratches. Price: $315.00 -- THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD***. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

***SOLD***Tourist Class Reading Room Panel M: 82 by 36 Inches Top/43.5 Inches Bottom. 1/2 Inch Thick. Two holes cut, as shown. Price: $315.00 -- ***THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD***. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

***SOLD***Tourist Class Reading Room Panel N: 83 by 29 Inches Top/37 Inches Bottom. 1/2 Inch Thick. 20 by 24 inch piece cut out of lower right bottom but still with panel. Price: $255.00 -- ***THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD.*** Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2010.

Page Added: August 23, 2010.