page_title: John Treasure Jones
section_title: Early years at sea
hierarchical_section_title: John Treasure Jones / Early years at sea
caption_attribution_description: English: Postcard of RMS Lancastria
context_page_description: Captain John Treasure Jones RD, was a British sea officer who became a well-known media figure in the mid-1960s following his appointment as the last master of the Cunard liner, RMS Queen Mary. He has been described as one of the 20th century's most distinguished mariners, in war and in peacetime. His forebears were men of the sea, who had captained sailing ships, and he elected to follow in their tradition.
context_section_description: In 1921, not yet 16, Jones signed on for a four-year apprenticeship with J. C. Gould Steamship Co. Ltd. of Cardiff. He first joined SS Grelgrant, a 4,785-ton tramp ship, and later transferred to SS Grelhead. Outward-bound they delivered coal from the South Wales coalfields to bunkering stations around the world and returned with cargoes of grain.
  Having completed his apprenticeship as a bosun, he regularly attended nautical school in Cardiff in order to progress through the grades of his nautical qualifications. Jones joined the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) as a probationary midshipman in 1923. On completion of his apprenticeship in 1925, aged 20, he completed six months training as a midshipman in HMS Hood, followed by HMS Velox and HMS Ajax.
  Jones then joined Hall Bros of Newcastle in 1926, serving at first, as third mate, on the tramp ship SS Ambassador and then, as second mate, on SS Caduceus.
  In August 1929, at 24, he was promoted to lieutenant RNR.
  In August 1929 he joined the White Star Line on his first liner, SS Euripides, taking emigrants out to Australia and then on SS Delphic. The Great Depression set in and shipping fell on bad days. In November 1930 the company sent him to do twelve months reserve training in the Royal Navy, after which he was laid off.
  In 1930–31 Jones served six months afloat in the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and four months in the destroyer HMS Viscount on the Mediterranean station.
  In November 1932 Jones managed to obtain employment as an assistant superintendent stevedore with Rea's Ltd, working with the Leyland Line ships at the Canada and Huskisson Docks in Liverpool. The Leyland Line was sold to T. & J. Harrison Ltd. and Jones soon left the company.
  In July 1934 he returned to sea with the Blue Funnel Line, in SS Machaon and then SS Rhexenor.
  In 1937 he joined the Cunard White Star Line as a junior third officer on his second liner, the 16,243-ton liner RMS Lancastria serving under Captain Bisset, who in 1912 had been aboard RMS Carpathia when she rescued the Titanic survivors. By the time the war had started he was senior third officer in the 26,943-ton RMS Britannic.
  In August 1937 he was promoted to lieutenant commander RNR.
caption: RMS Lancastria
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