MILWAUKEE — The abandoned boat on Milwaukee’s lakefront — that became a popular spot to visit and take photos of — is being removed from Lake Michigan.

The boat, named Deep Thought, has been sitting between McKinley and Bradford beaches since October. It is now covered in graffiti.

“This has been a big challenge,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “I mean, it’s become an eyesore. It’s become, I think, a spot where danger could occur. There’s been vandalism on the boat. Part of it has been broken off. There’s glass that’s broken.”

An anonymous donor has stepped up and offered to pay for its removal.

Salvage crews on Wednesday were out trying to take apart the 33-foot boat, which is estimated to weigh thousands of pounds because of all the sand and water in it. Their most recent efforts include digging around the hull of the boat and using air compressors to reduce the suction.

“This is not our first rodeo,” said Jerry Guyer, who employs the salvage workers and owns Silo Marina. “We go at it virtually a day at a time. Mother nature is one of our biggest issues.”

Guyer said his team has been trying everything: pumping, dredging, and using three different boats to try and pull the abandoned boat free. His goal is to have it out of the water within one week, by Wednesday, April 30.

The out-of-state owners of the boat abandoned it after running out of gas, and no one can reach them. The City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County have been going back and forth about which entity is responsible for the costly removal of the boat.

Because the private donor came forward, the removal cost will not be passed to taxpayers, officials said.