KEY WEST, Fla. -- A professional treasure hunter says he has found another in a fleet of Spanish galleons, laden with gold and silver artifacts, that sank off the Florida Keys in a hurricane in 1622.
Mel Fisher, founder of Treasure Salvors Inc. in Key West, laid claim to the treasure after he recovered a coral-laden anchor about 30 miles west of Key West.
The anchor was to be brought to Fisher's museum today and placed with artifacts salvaged from two ships discovered earlier.
'We know it's a whole new wreck,' Fisher said. 'We hope this is one of the sister ships of the Atocha and the Margarita. There's a whole wreck scattered out there.'
The 2,500-pound anchor was found Friday by salvors aboard the 65-foot trawler Dauntless. It took the eight-man crew all day to recover the anchor.
The location of the fleet was discovered last summer by divers from the company who were diving for lobster.
Divers have brought up $60 million worth of gold, silver and jewels from the Atocha.
'But there's $340 million still out there and we're going to find it,' Fisher said.
