Tramp to Queen

John Treasure Jones first went to sea when he was 15. For the first four years at sea, he was indentured as an apprentice, surviving the oceans in a small tramp steamer. Slowly however, he worked his way up to become Captain of the most famous ocean liner afloat, Cunard's RMS Queen Mary. During World War II, as a commander in the Royal Navy Reserve, he was torpedoed in the Atlantic and mentioned twice in despatches. In the post-war years, he mixed with film stars and royalty, commanding several of the famous Cunard liners, such as the Saxonia, Mauretania, and Queen Elizabeth. In 1967, he took his final command Queen Mary on her last voyage—a 12,000 mile trip from Southampton to her retirement home in Long Beach, California. Captain Treasure Jones died in 1993, but his manuscript was recently found and has been edited by his son-in-law to be reproduced here for the first time.