Replicas of Nina and Pinta on display at Ross's Landing [video, photos]

October 5, 2019 at 3:27 p.m. | Updated October 8, 2019 at 4:58 p.m.

by Erin O. Smith and Kim Sebring

Staff photo by Erin O. Smith / Ada Maclellan and Liam Maclellan, 8, look at a much smaller replica of one of Christopher Columbus' ships at Ross's Landing Friday, October 4, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Larger replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships, with the exception of Santa Maria, are on display in Chattanooga this month.
Staff photo by Erin O. Smith / Ada Maclellan and Liam Maclellan, 8, look at a much smaller replica of one of Christopher Columbus' ships at Ross's Landing Friday, October 4, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Larger replicas of Christopher Columbus' ships, with the exception of Santa Maria, are on display in Chattanooga this month.

Replicas of the Nina and Pinta are on display at Ross's Landing Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The original ships were caravels used by explorers - including Christopher Columbus on his first voyage - during the Age of Discovery (early 1400s through early 1600s).

And if you're wondering where the replica Santa Maria is, well, the Columbus Foundation has its reasons. The main one is it would be too big to make it through the waterways with the other ships. Since it was a "Nao" type ship, an exact replica of the Santa Maria would require double the water depth of the Nina and Pinta, according to the Foundation's website.

Both ships are open to the public for tours through Oct. 27.

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