A centuries-old anchor possibly belonging to Italian explorer Christopher Columbus has been discovered at a shipwreck site in the Caribbeans.
The anchor, found using a 'space treasure map' created by late NASA Astronaut Gordon Cooper, dates between 1492 and 1550.
The size of the anchor, estimated to weigh between 545 and 680 kilogrammes, indicates that it was from a 300-tonne vessel, the typical size of a Columbus-era ship.
"That anchor is from Christopher Columbus," said Darrell Miklos, who led the expedition.
Researchers identified five "colonial period" wreck sites in the Caribbeans. They then dived down for a closer inspection, 'Fox News' reported.
In addition to the anchor, discovered off the Turks and Caicos islands, the team found a trove of other artifacts at the shipwreck site, including three grappling hooks, broken pieces of pottery and an olive jar painted with indigo paint, indicating a Spanish origin.
A pot from the Spanish island of Majorca was also found, dating to the period between 1492 and the early 1500s.
Several iron and bronze spikes, possibly the last remnants of the sunken ships, were found, along with a broken section of anchor's ring.
The findings appeared in the Discovery Channel docuseries "Cooper's Treasure".
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