History
The April Hamer was designed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers for the Ports and Harbors
Division of the Public Works Department in 1975. The vessel is based on a Mississippi bar
boat design to give shallow draft capabilities with twin propellers and twin rudders to
give it high manoeuverability. It was built at Carrington Slipways, Newcastle, N.S.W. in
1976 for a price of $3 million.
Built as an ocean going dredger it was originally intended for use around the Victorian
coastline and was equipped for over the side pumping for beach renourishment. It worked in
Lakes Entrance for three months in 1976 and then moved on to Port Phillip Bay. Due to the
dramatic improvement in Lakes Entrance while it was there, and the deterioration after it
left, considerable pressure was applied to have the vessel permanently stationed at Lakes
Entrance.
This move was successful and the April Hamer has been stationed at Lakes Entrance since
1977 apart from minor periods while away for refit, dredging of adjacent ports or short
term contracts.
Operation
April Hamer operates two trailing suction arms that suck up the material from the sea
bed and pumps it out of the boom that can be swung out either side. The material is
shifted across 24 metres and by repeating this operation it clears a channel. The maximum
depth it can dredge to is six metres and it moves material at the rate of 600 cubic metres
per hour. The Lakes Entrance channel is 3 metres deep by 80 metres wide.
Working Roster
The working day is 12 hours from 6 am to 6 pm. Of the 2500 hours available throughout
the year, over 70% of this time is spent dredging the Lakes Entrance bar and lakes
systems. When sea conditions are too rough for dredging, maintenance work is undertaken.
Crew
The crew of 8 consists of:
Master
Mate
Bosun
Chief Engineer
First Engineer
3 General Purpose Seamen.
Costs
In 1994:
Current Estimated Value $2.4 Million
Estimated Replacement Value $25
Million
Average annual operating costs $920,000
General
Crusing Speed 7 Knots
Fuel consumption 105 Litres/hr crusing
Fuel consumption 210 Litres/hr dredging.
Size
Length Overall 40.83m
Beam 11.27m
Draft 1.75m
Depth 3.64m
Gross Weight 511 tonnes
Motors
2 * Caterpillar 8 cyl D379 Diesel
engines developing 500 hp at 1000 rpm.
2 * Caterpillar 3306 Diesel engines driving two 125 kva generators.
Dredge Equipment
Two Caterpillar 8 cyl D379 Diesel engines developing 500 hp at 1000 rpm drive two
Warman 406/457 mm gravel pumps discharging 600 cubic metres of sand per hour through a 600
mm diameter boom. The sand at Lakes Entrance has a specific gravity of 2.6 tonnes/cubic
metre.
