Image by Flickr user hyperion327

In a 4-3 vote, the board of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum has approved spending $45,000 to develop a request for proposals for a larger study of the aging aircraft carrier USS Yorktown's structure.

That's right, $45,000 to hire Clemson University professor Mike Drews to do a study before a study.

The Post and Courier reports that the actual study should cost another $300,000 to $500,000, and it will outline repairs to the Yorktown, which have been estimated at $100 million.

For more on yesterday's vote and the declining state of the Yorktown, jump over to The Post and Courier's article.