AU Grabber

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

The AU Grabber (pronounced as: Gold Grabber;"Au" is the chemical symbol for gold) is a self-propelled barge excavator dredge used to mine Bering Sea placer gold deposits in the region around Nome, Alaska, USA. It is owned and operated by Richard Schimschat and featured in the Discovery Channel USA mining reality TV show Bering Sea Gold.{{cite web |url= https://boatdb.net/boat/au-grabber-1031061.htm |title= AU GRABBER (1031061) |website= boatdb.net |publisher= Boat Database }}{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/discover-series-bering-sea-gold-aims-for-pay-dirt/|title=Discover series 'Bering Sea Gold' aims for pay dirt|date=22 January 2012|website=The Seattle Times|author=Rob Owen}}{{cite web|url=https://www.adn.com/film-tv/article/reality-check-bering-sea-gold-plumbs-depths-tv-drama/2015/05/06/|title=Reality Check: 'Bering Sea Gold' plumbs the depths for TV drama|website=Anchorage Daily News|date=6 May 2015|author=Emily Fehrenbacher}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Two-week-old-walrus-calf-rescued-from-Nome-and-brought-to-Seward-429341923.html|title=Two-week-old walrus calf rescued from Nome and brought to Seward|first=Sean|last=Maguire|work=KTUU|publisher=Gray Media Group|date=19 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nomenugget.com/news/walrus-calf-found-stranded-nome-gold-dredge|title=Walrus calf found stranded on Nome gold dredge|date=23 June 2017|website=The Nome Nugget|author=Maisie Thomas}} It cost $600,000 to buy.{{cite web|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/bering-sea-gold/bios/hank-schimschat/|title=Hank Schimschat|date=6 February 2014|website=Discovery}} In 2017 a 120-lb two-week-old seal was found on the dredge.{{cite web|url=http://scribol.com/environment/animals-environment/miners-were-dredging-the-ocean-for-gold-when-they-discovered-an-astonishing-120-pound-stowaway|title=Miners Were Dredging The Ocean For Gold When They Discovered An Astonishing 120-Pound Stowaway|date=14 August 2018|publisher=}} Hank Schimschat retired from mining in 2019, and hired out the AU Grabber. Though no longer part of the show, in 2020, the dredge once again appeared on Bering Sea Gold, still mining in the Nome region.{{cite episode |series= Bering Sea Gold |network= Discovery USA |title= The Gold, The Bad, & The Ugly |season= 12 |number= 6 |airdate= 5 June 2020 }} At the end of the 2020 season, while pulling out the dredge, it was improperly supported, bending the boat, ending its journey. The equipment of AU Grabber was moved to a new barge, the Mistress (stylized as Mistre$$), for the 2021 gold season.{{cite web |url= https://beringseapaydirt.com/what-happened-to-hank-schimschat-bering-sea-gold/ |title= What Happened to Hank Schimschat? Exclusive Interview! |date= 1 September 2022 |publisher= Bering Sea Paydirt }}