Whelp combined 40,000 shaft horsepower with four 4.7-inch guns, two quadruple torpedo mounts, several radar sets, and seventy depth charges. That machinery made the War Emergency destroyer fast while her weapons supported surface, anti-aircraft, and anti-submarine work. Philip joined while she was still in the shipyard and served as commissioning first lieutenant, giving him responsibility for turning a new hull and assembled personnel into an effective ship's company. He could set its routines and standards from the beginning instead of inheriting another officer's system. Sold to South Africa in 1952, Whelp served as Simon van der Stel before being scrapped in 1976.
Chapter · 1:31:24-1:38:18
HMS Whelp gave Philip a new destroyer to commission
As commissioning first lieutenant, Philip helped bring a new War Emergency destroyer and her crew into service from the shipyard.