Damaged Spirit of South Carolina

The Spirit of South Carolina went into a Newport, R.I., dry dock Monday for inspections and repairs after lightning struck near the boat July 27 while the ship was sailing just off Block Island. Coast Guard and insurance inspectors found no signs that lightning actually struck the boat — no charring, no melted wires. While the anti-lightning equipment on the boat prevented a direct strike, it appears the charge hit the water and traveled up the propeller shafts. Just about everything electronic on the ship was fried. The damage is going to be well past $100,000, maybe twice that.