New Chief of Naval Aeronautics takes oath. Washington, D.C., June 1. The newly appointed Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, U.S. Navy, Capt. John H. Towers, right, being administered the oath of office today by John B. May, Chief Clerk of the Navy Department. The promotion automatically carries with it the rank of Rear Admiral for the new chief, Capt. Towers was one of the pilots of the NC 4 on the massed flight across the Atlantic in 1919