London | Australian submarine engineer Isabella (her surname is withheld for security reasons) admits that she struggles at times to understand the Scottish accent. But she’s excited to be in Scotland.

The Royal Australian Navy lieutenant has just wrapped up an arduous nine-month nuclear submarine training program in Portsmouth, southern England – and that’s just the weather, let alone the daunting subject matter. Now she’s up north, preparing to join one of Britain’s Astute-class subs in the ocean depths.