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"Deep Thought" up for auction in Milwaukee
Milwaukee County Parks opened the online public auction for recovered boat ‘Deep Thought.’
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Parks has launched an online auction for "Deep Thought," the abandoned boat recently removed from Lake Michigan.
The auction went live on Tuesday, July 22 at 9 a.m. and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Online auction
What we know:
The boat will be sold as-is with no minimum bid required, and the winning bidder will be responsible for transportation and removal.
While no certificate of title exists, the Milwaukee County Office of Corporation Counsel has created a process for transferring ownership legally and appropriately.
A public pre-bid inspection will be held at All City Towing on Tuesday, July 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Interested bidders can view the vessel in person during that window before placing their bid online.
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The auction listing, along with bidding instructions and full details, will be available on GovDeals.net.
What they're saying:
"This auction isn’t just a quirky headline. This is actually about fiscal responsibility," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. "We’re turning this eye sore into an opportunity."
"The amount of interest on this boat have been huge. I mean, we’ve had thousands of visitors, all of the country, all know about Deep Thought, SS Minnow," said Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman.
"This is your chance to own a piece of Milwaukee’s lakefront story," said Milwaukee County Parks Director Guy Smith. "Whether you're a salvager, an artist, or someone with a unique vision, we invite you to participate in this auction and help us turn local history into new opportunity."
Boat removed
The backstory:
Deep Thought was towed away down Lincoln Memorial Drive on Tuesday night, May 6. All City Towing spent all day – from morning until night – working to remove the now-infamous boat.
Once the boat was pulled out of the water, cables dragged it across the rocks and onto land. A crane hoisted the vessel onto a flatbed truck, where it was secured and then pulled onto Lincoln Memorial Drive.
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Throughout the extraction process, all of Lincoln Memorial Drive was shut down to traffic from Lafayette Hill Road to Water Tower Road.
Months of work
Timeline:
Deep Thought's removal was months in the making. The boat washed ashore between Bradford and McKinley beaches in October after it ran out of gas.
In November, Jerry Guyer and his crew with Pirates Cove Diving made their first of many attempts to dislodge Deep Thought without luck.
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Milwaukee abandoned boat: Who's paying to remove Deep Thought?
Deep Thought, the boat that's been abandoned at Milwaukee's lakefront since October, cost an estimated $50,000 to remove on Tuesday alone.
Milwaukee County was officially deemed responsible for the boat's removal. There were then renewed attempts to get it out, and a pontoon platform ended up getting stuck with Deep Thought in the process.
For the record, if you win the auction for Deep Thought, you have seven days to pick it up and put it where you want.
Boat auction extras
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Online public auction for 'Deep Thought'
Milwaukee County Parks opens online public auction for recovered boat 'Deep Thought'.
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Milwaukee's abandoned boat auction
Deep Thought was towed away down Lincoln Memorial Drive on Tuesday night, May 6.
The Source: The information in this post was provided, in part, by the All City Towing crew on the scene as well as previous FOX6 News coverage.