The General Steam Navigation Company of Greece (marketed as the Greek Line) was formed in 1939 to run transatlantic sailings from Greece. As air travel hit passenger figures in the 1960s, the vessels devoted more time to cruising. The Company began to fall on hard times in the early 1970s, following the death of Basil Goulandris, owner and chairman of Greek Line. It collapsed finally in 1975, although their two final ships, Olympia and Queen Anna Maria, sail on (in 2002) as the Regal Empress and Topaz