Australian submarine command officer candidates regularly attend the Submarine Command [“Perisher”] Course held on board the Dutch conventional submarine Dolphin. The course starts in February each year as it likely did this year (2020). If Australian candidates attended the course this year they may have been exposed to COVID-19. If so the Australian Department of Defence and Royal Australian Navy should be asked.
On March 30, 2020 the Dutch Ministry of Defencereported that 8 crew members of the Dutch submarine [in English Dolphin] had tested positive for COVID-19.
On April 21, 2020 The North Holland Daily Newspaper(online) reported(once translated into English): "The COVID-19 outbreak occurred during the Submarine Command [“Perisher”] Course held on board the Dolphin. The Royal Netherlands Navy provides international training for submarine commanders."
A US Submarine Officer wrotethat when he attended the Dutch “Perisher” Course in 2005: “I arrived in the Netherlands in early February and immediately got underway...onboard [the submarine Dolphin]...The 2005 Netherlands Perisher Course...included students from Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore and the U.S.” The US Officer added that “Since its inception, the [Dutch Navy] Perisher Course has trained foreign officers from...Brazil, Canada...[South] Korea [and] South Africa.”
PETE COMMENT
So Australian submarine officer students/candidates were on Dolphin in 2005. Were they on Dolphin this year?