Milwaukeeans say goodbye to abandoned lakefront boat, as crews work to remove it
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — The end is near for “Deep Thought” — the abandoned vessel left stranded on Milwaukee’s lakefront since last October.
Over the past six months, it’s captured the attention of southeast Wisconsin, becoming a tourist site, a pin on Google Maps, and even the background for photoshoots and parties.
But thanks to an anonymous donor who has come forward to cover the removal cost of the now heavily graffitied and torn apart boat, it may seem like the area by Bradford Beach could once again be clear.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the donor approached him a couple of weeks ago.
"It's a spirit of collaboration and wanting to see Milwaukee be the best city that it could possibly be,” Mayor Johnson said. “This is a point of pride for our community, and to have a nuisance like this on the beach is not a good look for Milwaukee."
Crews with Jerry’s Silo Marina have made multiple attempts to remove the boat, but both wintry weather conditions and the location of it have made the salvaging tough.
“The amount of suction from it sitting there in the sand, plus the tons of water that are in the boat along with potentially tons of sand that washed in with the water, made it quite a challenge,” said owner Jerry Guyer, adding that out of the dozens of these they do each year, this boat has proved one of the most difficult. "We salvaged an airplane once that was eight miles out in 180 feet of water. That didn't take long at all."
Guyer estimated he and his workers have spent about 100 hours and nearly $25,000 on removal efforts.
Thankfully on Wednesday, Mother Nature cooperated, and crews were able to pump air underneath the boat to help break the suction, remove some of the accumulated sandy water, and use heavy lift bags to try and give the vessel some floatation help.
Once crews left for the day, a vigil started to form to say goodbye to the boat that's become a popular attraction on Milwaukee's lakefront.
People continued to stop by to get a final look and pay tribute, laying candles down in front of the boat as a parting gift.
The organizer of the event, Abbey Osborn, tells us she wanted to organize this to celebrate what has become an iconic tourist attraction for residents here in the Milwaukee area and beyond.
It could be their last chance with the boat as crews say they'll be back at work and hope to have it out as soon as Thursday.
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