Dampier
Vessel numberHV000315
Previous owner
West Australian Department of Fisheries
Designer
M.H. Horton
Date1959
DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 13.72 m x 12.89 m x 3.66 m x 1.25 m (45 ft x 42.3 ft x 12 ft x 4.1 ft)
DescriptionThe 13.72 m long DAMPIER was carvel planked in jarrah and powered by a 70kw (90hp) GM diesel. The hull was designed by M H Horton to the specifications of the Harbour and Lights Department, and built by their staff at Fremantle, WA. The machinery was fitted by the Fremantle Harbour Trust. DAMPIER was built to be a very capable sea boat, and was intended to go on patrol in all weathers and all seasons. It was fitted with refrigeration and accomodation for four crew, and its principal role was to inspect and patrol crayfishing in the north during winter, and the south during summer.
DAMPIER was launched on 4 November 1959 in a ceremony attended by the Minister for Fisheries and other senior figures from the Department. A report in the Department's monthly bulletin noted they were 'truly proud' of their achievement and it was hoped the craft's skipper would have the same resourceful spirit of the vessel's namesake, the English explorer and buccaneer William Dampier.
DAMPIER remained with the Department of Fisheries until the late 1970s. After retirement it became a Naval Reserve training vessel for a period. In 2009 it was in private ownership, operating as a recreational launch and motor sailer.
SignificanceDAMPIER is a wooden motor launch built in WA in the late 1950s. It was built as a West Australian Department of Fisheries patrol vessel. It was designed and built by the Harbour and Lights Department in the late 1950s representing a period when craft were designed, built and maintained in-house by government departments. It had some 20 years of service inspecting fisheries along the West Australian coastline.
Alf Morgan
1957
