[frog in a pot]

...but could the ship have been rendered inoperable?

There are three sides to a coin, and you have addressed one of the possiblities in this event.

Any inoperability, of course, would have been the result of either hostile or non-hostile action. Given the redundancy of the DDG's assets and its superb ability to maneuver if only "by hand", one could conclude it was other than non-hostile action.

Perhaps the Board of Inquiry could request that James Kallstrom offer some insights.

[TBall]

Yeah, a massive build up of static electricity was released resulting in engine failure.