Admiral John H. Towers

John Henry Towers graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906 and requested aviation duty. Taught to fly by the first Naval Aviator, Lt. Theodore Ellyson, he qualified as Naval Aviator Number 3 in September 1911.

At the Navy's first aviation camp in San Diego, Lt. Towers conducted the first testing associated with development of the original Curtiss seaplanes. On October 12, 1912, at Annapolis, he established a world endurance record—airborne in the Curtiss A-1 for 6 hours 10 minutes 35 seconds.

In every chapter in the development of Naval Aviation, John Towers was there. He commanded the first aviation station at Pensacola. He developed the Naval Aviator badge. As senior aviator in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations during World War I, his planning guided U.S. Naval Air Forces.

Between the wars his career paralleled the growing strength of Naval Aviation. He became the first Naval Aviator to achieve flag rank as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics in 1939—organizing expansion from 2,000 to nearly 39,000 aircraft and directing Naval Aviation in the opening period of World War II.

Insistence on leading a combat command resulted in appointment as Commander Naval Air Forces Pacific Fleet, where he directed expansion of the carrier forces and led the air arm of the largest fleet ever assembled. His contributions were in large measure responsible for victory in the Pacific.

Invested 1973 in the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. From “These We Honor,” The San Diego Aerospace Museum, 1984.

Admiral Towers died at St. Albans Naval Hospital, Jamaica, N.Y., on 30 April 1955. He is buried in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery with his wife, Pierrette Anne Towers (1902–1990).