On Friday, June 28, 2019, James and Susan Winn were diving the shipwreck L.R. Doty, located 23 miles offshore from Milwaukee in approximately 300 feet of water. For reasons still unknown, the dive went terribly wrong. Susan surfaced unconscious and was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while Jim remained missing.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department requested Bruce’s Legacy to assist in the search. Having personally dived the L.R. Doty wreck years ago, I was familiar with the site’s conditions and challenges.
Beth and I departed Sunday evening for the Milwaukee area to ensure an early start. Upon arrival, we coordinated with DNR Wardens and Deputies from the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Department. Fortunately, Lake Michigan was cooperative, allowing for a safe 45-minute run out to the search grid.
We deployed our Klein 3900 Sonar System, paying out 600 feet of cable to reach the necessary depth. The technology and our search patterns proved effective immediately; we identified a promising target on just our second pass.
To confirm the sonar data, we deployed our Outland 2500 ROV for a live look. We successfully located Jim Winn and utilized the ROV to bring him to the surface, allowing his family to lay him to rest.
We would like to extend a special thanks to the Wisconsin DNR and the U.S. Coast Guard for their support. We are also incredibly grateful to Captain Bob from the Charter Service, whose shared information was vital in making this a smooth, quick, and successful recovery mission.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the Winn family and their friends during this incredibly difficult time.
