Hunters Find Christopher Columbus’ Anchor in Carribean Shipwreck Using Treasure Map From Space

One of the most famous explorers in history is Christopher Columbus, the Italian navigator and colonizer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean four times. So it's not surprising that there are lost treasures at sea from the bygone era of Columbus' travels.

In a Discovery Channel documentary series "Cooper's Treasure," researchers stumbled on such a treasure while chasing a "space treasure map," according to a report from Fox News. Specifically, a centuries-old anchor that experts believe to be from one of Columbus' many ships was discovered off the coast of the Turks and Caicos islands.

Analysis done on the anchor revealed that its origins are sometime between 1492 and 1550. It is a massive anchor weighing between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds, likely a bower anchor from a massive 300-ton ship -- not uncommon during the time of Columbus.

Historical shipwreck discovery specialist Darrell Miklos led the Carribean expedition, following a space treasure map created by his friend and mentor NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper. People revealed that Cooper found a series of shipwrecks from space as he orbited the planet. This particular one followed his Mercury 9 Faith 7 mission.

READ: Astronaut Reveals Secret Treasure Map from Space, Sparking Treasure Hunt in the Caribbean

Miklos and his team combined the map and research to find wrecks from the colonial period. The experts believe that the anchor from the ruins in Turks and Caicos is connected to Spanish sailor Vicente Yanez Pinzon who was known to be part of Columbus' expeditions along with his brother Martin Alonso Pinzon.

Both brothers were captains of ships from Columbus' fleet. Around the time of Columbus' third voyage, Vicente Pinzon sailed with four Caravels -- also known as small sailing ships -- including the ship named Pinta. In July of 1500, the fleet that was anchored near Turks and Caicos was caught in a hurricane and ended up with two wrecked ships.

Apart from the anchor, Miklos and his team also found other artifacts including three grappling hooks, broken pieces of pottery, an olive jar with Spanish origins and a pot from Majorca, Spain. There was also a broken part of an anchor ring, which could indicate that the ship's background of getting torn away from its anchored spot by a hurricane.