Shmuel Tankus
Encyclopedia
Aluf
(Major General) Shmuel "Shmulik" Tankus was the fifth commander of the Israeli Navy, serving from 30 June 1954 until 1960.
Tankus was born in 1914 in the Neve Shalom district of Jaffa
. He was scion to a clan from the Caucasus
that had settled in Israel following a vision by the clan's elder.
He studied at the 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 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. Since 1952, he has lived in Haifa
. In 2001, he was accorded the honour of Friend or Beloved of the municipality.
Aluf
Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
(Major General) Shmuel "Shmulik" Tankus was the fifth commander of the Israeli Navy, serving from 30 June 1954 until 1960.
Tankus was born in 1914 in the Neve Shalom district of Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
. He was scion to a clan from the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
that had settled in Israel following a vision by the clan's elder.
He studied at the The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
He joined the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
, and served in Palyam
Palyam
Palyam was the sea force of the Palmach.-History:Palyam was set up in April 1945 as the Palmach's tenth company which originated from the Palmach's Naval Platoon. The Company's first commander was Abraham Zakai...
. He reported to Yohai Ben-Nun
Yohai Ben-Nun
- Biography :Yohai Ben-Nun was born in Haifa and raised in Jerusalem. His parents were members of the First Aliyah.Ben-Nun joined the Palmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined the Pal-Yam, the sea corps of the Palmach...
, who was Commander of the Port Brigade and is considered the father of the Israeli Naval Academy
Israeli Naval Academy
The Israeli Naval Academy is a voluntary course , dedicated to the training education, and selection of Naval Officers, which takes place alongside other instructional courses, at the naval command school in the Israeli Naval Instruction Base. The course is nearly three years long, and cadets...
.
In 1942, he married Yafa Grobshtein. They had a daughter, Ruth, who volunteered for service in the Navy. Since 1952, he has lived in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. In 2001, he was accorded the honour of Friend or Beloved of the municipality.