William Billingsley

William Devotie Billingsley (24 April 1887 – 20 June 1913) was an early aviator in the United States Navy.

Born in Winona, Mississippi, Billingsley graduated from the Naval Academy in 1909. One of the first Naval Aviators, Ensign Billingsley was killed in an airplane crash near Annapolis, Maryland. Admiral John Henry Towers was nearly killed in the same accident.

USS Billingsley (DD-293) was named in his honor.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.