Shmuel Tankus

Aluf (Rear Admiral) Shmuel "Shmulik" Tankus (Hebrew: שמואל טנקוס‎; 14 November 1914 – 4 March 2012) was the fifth commander of the Israeli Navy, serving from 30 June 1954 until 1960.^[2]

Shmuel "Shmulik" Tankus
Tankus in 1960
Native name	שמואל טנקוס
Born	4 November 1914 Jaffa, Ottoman-controlled Palestine
Died	4 March 2012(2012-03-04) (aged 97)[1]
Allegiance	Israel
Branch	Israeli Navy
Years of service	1930–1960
Rank	Aluf
Commands	Commander of the Israeli Navy
Battles / wars	World War II 1947–1949 Palestine war Suez Crisis

Tankus was born in 1914 in the Neve Shalom district of Jaffa under Ottoman-controlled Palestine. He was scion to a clan from the Caucasus that had settled in Palestine following a vision by the clan's elder.^[3] He studied at The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv

He joined the Palmach, and served in Palyam. He reported to Yohai Ben-Nun, who was Commander of the Port Brigade (Hebrew: מפקדי פלוגת הנמל) and is considered the father of the Israeli Naval Academy.

In 1942, he married Yafa Grobshtein. They had a daughter, Ruth, who volunteered for service in the Navy. He lived in Haifa from 1952 onwards. In 2001, he was accorded the honour of Friend or Beloved of the municipality.