The Niña as it sits partially sunk in the Corpus Christi Marina after Hurricane Harvey. The ship is a replica of one used by Christopher Columbus to “sail the ocean blue in 1492.” It is the only one left of three built to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’s storied journey. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
The last of three historic replica ships in Corpus Christi might soon go the way of her sister ships, which were removed from the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History in 2013 and dismantled. The Niña, which remains partially sunk off a dock at the Corpus Christi Marina, will soon be moved to Mile 533 Marine Ways Inc. in Aransas Pass for assessment. The ship repair yard could well be the end of the line for the 30-year-old replica of a 500-year-old ship.
An effort to raise $100,000 through a GoFundMe account has brought in about $50,000 since Hurricane Harvey dealt the latest blow to Spain’s long-ago gift to Corpus Christi. Replicas of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were bequeathed to the city in in 1993 after the three took a world tour commemorating the 500th anniversary of when Columbus landed in North America.
“The Niña is made from trees growing in the Iberian Peninsula — the same type of wood used to build Columbus’s fleet more than 500 year ago,” said Kim Mrazek, president of the Columbus Sailing Association, who has worked for years to restore the ship. “Along with the nails and bolts, the same craftsmanship went into building these ships as the original ones. This is the last of its kind existing in North America.”
Spain spent $6.5 million building the three replicas. As the quincentenary celebrations died down, several cities competed to become the permanent home for the ships. Corpus Christi won after more than 100,000 visitors stood in line for hours to tour the ships during a month-long stay in the city. Also, 50,000 area schoolchildren sent letters begging to have the ships stay in the Coastal Bend.
Their residence in the city has been complicated. All three were dry-docked for safety due to an impending hurricane in 1993. Back in the water after the storm passed, they were damaged by a wreck with a barge. The city estimated it would cost more to repair all three than to rebuild them from scratch.
The Pinta and the Santa Maria were dry-docked again, this time at the Museum of Science and History, where they began to rot away. The Niña was docked in the water at the Lawrence Street T-Head, where it has been slowly restored over the years using parts from the other two ships.
“For the last 25 years, our organization has lovingly cared for this fleet of ships, and the Niña is still salvageable,” Mrazek told Corpus Christi Business News just after Hurricane Harvey. “If many people would contribute even just a little, we could be closer to our goal.”
Although maintained by the association, ultimately, the ship belongs to the city of Corpus Christi. Mrazek recently told reporters that, as a last option, the foundation might turn the ship back over to the city.
