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Coast Guard Investigating After Fells Point Cruise Crash

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A midnight cruise came to a startling end in Baltimore's Inner Harbor Sunday when the "Spirit of Baltimore" crashed into a pier in Fells Point.

More than 400 people were aboard the boat at the time. From the air, the damage to a section of pier at Henderson's Wharf Marina doesn't look extensive. But it did on Sunday morning.

"When I first heard it I thought it was a violent thunderstorm rolling in," George Leight, who lives aboard his boat, told WJZ's Alex DeMetrick. "And I came up out of my boat and I was staring at the broad side of the ship."

It was the Spirit of Baltimore. Luckily, only two people were slightly injured. The Coast Guard is now investigating.

"We usually conduct crew interviews, which we did, and speak to people no the dockside," says Lt. Sandi Carmine.

"There was about five feet left of the pier behind my boat," according to Leight. "We dodged a bullet."

Equipment like radar and lighting will be checked. The captain has been suspended by Spirit pending an investigation.

In a statement, the company says "Spirit Cruises takes the safety of our passengers, community and shipmates very seriously. The company is conducting a full investigation and cooperating fully with the United States Coast Guard."

It's not clear if scratches on the ship's hull are from the accident but there was no structural damage.

At the pier, it could have been worse.

"Our neighbor, actually where they hit, normally there's a boat right there, and I'm sure it would have killed him if he'd been there," Leight said. "Fortunately he hauled out this week to do some work."

Coast Guard investigators will also try to track down and speak to as many of the passengers as possible.

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