Arthur Phillip went to sea as a child and studied at Greenwich Hospital School before serving in the Seven Years' War and with the Portuguese Navy. His experience included transporting troops and convicts, rewarding convicts who helped save a ship in a storm, and developing detailed knowledge of South American waters. Repeated assignments as an escort commander, surveyor, and adviser prepared him for an isolated command that demanded local judgment. He also mentored Lieutenant Philip Gidley King, who later became the colony's third governor.
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Arthur Phillip's preparation for colonial command
Phillip's rise from a poor seafaring family through naval school, war, Portuguese service, convoy command, and surveying explains why Britain trusted him with New South Wales.