Farewell America by Robert Taylor Queen Mary Maritime Art Print

A historic piece paying tribute to one of the most iconic Ocean Liners in Maritime historyFAREWELL AMERICAby Robert TaylorIn a scene from the great ship’s illustrious past, the RMS Queen Mary is seen departing from New York for a transatlantic journey to Europe in the early post-war period. Alive with beauty, energy and strength, the Queen Mary steams majestically past the Statue of Liberty, her bows pointed eagerly towards the Atlantic.When the QUEEN MARY, most famous of all the transatlantic ocean liners, retired gracefully to a berth at Long Beach, California in 1967, she brought to an end an era of maritime opulence, romance and glittering extravagance never seen before or since. In her day, the most beautiful ship afloat, she had carried over two million passengers in one thousand lavish Atlantic crossings, her passenger lists studded with Royalty, stars of the silver screen, sports personalities, the rich and famous.THE SIGNATUREPublished in 1993, the print is individually hand signed by the artist Robert Taylor and countersigned by R.M.S. QUEEN MARY’s last skipper:Captain JOHN TREASURE JONES Beginning a Steamship Apprenticeship in 1921, Jones joined the Royal Naval Reserve in 1925 while serving aboard several Ocean Liners, eventually joining the Cunard White Star line in 1929. Called to active duty at the outbreak of War he commanded several Royal Navy ships in both the European and Pacific Theaters. Initially on Atlantic convoys, he survived the sinking of the SS Laurentic after it was torpedoed, spending six hours adrift. In 1942 whilst commanding HMS Sunflower, he saved 27 crew from the torpedoed HMS Firedrake in 60 ft high waves, for which he was Mentioned in Dispatches. In 1945 he moved to South East Asia under Admiral Mountbatten.Rejoining the Cunard Line in March 1947 he Commanded a number of Ocean Liners including RMS Queen Elizabeth taking command of RMS Queen Mary in September 1965. On 31 October 1967 he sailed the Queen Mary from Southampton for her 1001st and final Atlantic crossing, with 1,093 passengers and 806 crew. It was her fastest ever crossing, causing Captain Jones to comment, "The old girl can still pick up her skirt and run!".After a voyage around Cape Horn she arrived in Long Beach, California on 9 December 1967. Captain Jones lowered both the Cunard house flag and his own Blue Ensign when he conducted the sale to the City of Long Beach on 11 December 1967.Treasure Jones retired in August 1968, after a career of 47 years, of which almost 43½ years were spent at sea.Captain Jones is regarded as one of the 20th century's most distinguished mariners, in war and in peacetime. He personally autographed the prints in this very special and historic edition shortly before he passed away at the age of 87, in May 1993.This stunning print is the perfect centerpiece for any maritime art collection.ALSO AVAILABLE FRAMED & SHIPPED - Please ask for detailsWe will always do our best to combine shipping on multiple purchases whenever possible – please ask.BUY WITH CONFIDENCE: We have been in business for over 25 years and our items are guaranteed to be in perfect condition, unless specified otherwise.SHIPPING: Larger prints are rolled in acid free tissue and shipped in large, heavy duty shipping tubes with smaller prints 'flat packed' in custom made packaging. Matted & framed pieces are packed in our custom made boxes. Our shipping is insured and guaranteed. YOUR PIECE OF MIND: As a reputable company, if any issues do arise we don't expect our customers to deal with it. So if there are any problems such as with condition, delivery or damages then we will take care of it with a replacement, store credit or your money back.Please note: The signatures on our pieces are not reproductions; they are original autographs, hand-signed by the veterans involved. The certificate of authenticity is included