Christopher Columbus never made it to the Gulf Coast of Texas, but replicas of his three ships did, and soon they’ll return. Under an agreement signed Saturday, Spain will be paid $1.6 million for the replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, which will remain on display in Corpus Christi for at least 50 years. The ships will leave New York on Saturday and are expected to arrive June 11 for a welcoming ceremony. The replicas were built in Spain in 1990 with the same materials carpenters used to build the original vessels. The ships came to Corpus Christi for a 10-day visit last year.
