MILWAUKEE — The S.S. Minnow or “Deep Thought” was finally removed from the Milwaukee lakefront on Tuesday.
A team of tow truck drivers from All City Towing collaborated with the county to remove the boat. The crew was on site for over 10 hours to get the job done. However, it was no easy task.
"I feel like there's a little bit of a Great Lakes curse here, because we even had some equipment failures right from beginning," Jeff Piller, All City Towing owner, said.
About four hours into the job, Piller shared that they needed about two hours to shore up a third tow truck to the vessel since it was much heavier than anticipated. He said it had over two feet of sand in the bottom of it.
“This is hard,” Piller said. “It’s a lot heavier, even than I thought. We’re going to do some inside rigging from the engines to the chains we have, just so we are not at risk of ripping anymore. There is going to be some big cuts in it.”
While Piller’s crew was working hard, dozens of spectators came out to see the boat.
Jim Cusack brought his dog Oliver to catch a glimpse of the recovery effort. He said this boat has been something they look at each day on their walks.
“I’ve been looking at this boat since October and now it it’s finally going,” Cusack said.
He and many others were enjoying the company and camaraderie of those who came out for the same reason on Tuesday: To see this boat leave the shoreline.
“It’s kind of nice to just enjoy the day and talk to certain people as we watch the festivities,” Cusack said.
County Executive David Crowley said an anonymous donor gave the county around $25,000 to help the recovery effort.
Piller said his towing company lowered its rates because it wanted to help and put a bid out for a max of $55,000. He said he believes at the end of the day, the project will cost much more than that, once it is all said and done.
Piller said he’s proud of the work he and his team did on Tuesday after many failed attempts in the past.
