Ghostly fog covers the spot where La Niña once docked in the Corpus Christi Marina. The replica ship was loaded onto a barge and taken to the middle of Corpus Christi Bay to be demolished January 16, 2020. It sank on January 13 for the third time since Hurricane Harvey took it down in 2017. Courtesy photo
La Niña is no more. The last of three replicas of the ships sailed by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century was dismantled in Corpus Christi Bay on Thursday, January 16, after she once again sank at her perch in the city marina.
“We were informed that we could not wait any longer for the money to get her across the bay and restore her as planned,” said Kim Mrazek, president of the Columbus Sailing Association. “It was decided that the La Niña would be destroyed because she was becoming an increasing liability for the city of Corpus Christi where she was in the marina.”
The association had hoped to raise enough money after the ship last sank in April 2019 to move it to a shipyard in Aransas Pass for repairs. At one point, the city of Aransas Pass had expressed interest in buying the ship, but that idea sank as well.
La Niña’s sisters, the Pinta and Santa Maria, were demolished several years ago after deteriorating in dry dock at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. Parts from those two ships were used to help restore La Niña.
The ship, which is owned by the city of Corpus Christi, has been for sale since 2018. At one point, six potential buyers, including Aransas Pass, expressed interest. The city sent out a request for proposals and posted a virtual tour of the boat online in 2018.
