John Henry Towers CBE (January 30, 1885 – April 30, 1955) was a highly decorated United States Navy four-star admiral and pioneer naval aviator.

He made important contributions to the technical and organizational development of naval aviation from its beginnings, eventually serving as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics (1939–1942).

[1] Among his classmates were many future admirals including Roland M. Brainard, Arthur L. Bristol, William L. Calhoun, Milo F. Draemel, Robert L. Ghormley, William A. Glassford, Charles C. Hartigan, Aubrey W. Fitch, Frank J. Fletcher, Isaac C. Kidd, John S. McCain Sr., Leigh Noyes, Ferdinand L. Reichmuth, Sherwoode A. Taffinder, Russell Willson, and Thomas Withers.

Towers then took part in the cruise around the world with Great White Fleet and also served in the Cuban waters during the Second Occupation of Cuba.

Towers was transferred to New York Shipbuilding Corporation for duty in connection with fitting out of the first United States dreadnought battleship, USS Michigan, in September 1909 and upon her commissioning in January 1910, he served as fire control officer and spotter.

Due to the winter weather conditions at Greenbury Point they crated the airplanes and Towers et al. traveled to North Island in San Diego, California where, in conjunction with the Curtiss Flying School, he took part in developing and improving naval aircraft types[5] After that winter in San Diego they went back to Greenbury Point.

On October 6, 1912, he achieved an American endurance record by rigging extra gasoline tanks to a Curtiss A-2 seaplane, allowing him to remain aloft for 6 hours, ten minutes, 35 seconds.

Towers flew a long-distance flight of 169 miles in a Curtiss flying boat from the Washington Navy Yard down the Potomac River and then up the Chesapeake Bay to the U.S.

Interviewed by Glenn Curtiss soon thereafter, Towers recounted the circumstances of the tragedy; his report and resultant recommendations eventually led to the design and adoption of safety belts and harnesses for pilots and their passengers.

[9] In August 1914, shortly after the war began, Towers was ordered to London as assistant naval attaché—a billet he filled until he returned to the United States in the autumn of 1916.

He was involved in a number of pioneering developments in Naval Aviation, including the first transatlantic crossing by aircraft; serving as commander of the first U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Langley; and holding important positions (including bureau chief) within the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer), the organizational structure established for naval aviation in 1921.

[13] The crew of the NC-3, including Towers, managed to keep the NC-3 afloat for 52 hours, water taxiing the craft over 200 miles to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island.

Then, after a tour as executive officer at NAS Pensacola, he spent two and one-half years—from March 1923 to September 1925—as an assistant naval attaché, serving at the American embassies at London, Paris, Rome, The Hague, and Berlin.

Returning to the United States in the autumn of 1925, he was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics and served as a member of the court of inquiry which investigated the loss of dirigible USS Shenandoah.

He received a commendation for "coolness and courage in the face of danger" when a gasoline line caught fire and burned on board the carrier in December 1927.

As Aeronautics Bureau chief, Towers organized the Navy's aircraft procurement plans while war clouds gathered over the Far East and in the Atlantic.

During Towers' tenure, the number of men assigned to naval aviation activities reached a high point of some three quarters of a million.

In this capacity, he served as Admiral Chester Nimitz's chief advisor on naval aviation policy, fleet logistics, and administration matters.

On 1 February 1946, he relieved Admiral Raymond Spruance as commander in chief, Pacific Fleet, with the aircraft carrier USS Bennington his flagship, and held the post until March 1947.

In 1961, Towers was posthumously designated the second recipient of the Gray Eagle Award, as the most senior active naval aviator from 1928 until his retirement.

[17] The decorations and medals he earned during his career include the following: USS Towers (DDG-9), a guided missile destroyer that saw action in the Vietnam War, was named in his honor.