Most people are familiar with Alcatraz, the infamous fortress of a prison that sits on a small island in the middle of the San Fransisco Bay. Before closing in 1963, the prison had enclosed inmates since the Civil War.
Between the years 1934 and 1963, a whopping total of 36 inmates attempted to escape the prison on 14 separate occasions. The majority of them failed, but did you know that three men were able to get out?
In the 1930s, Alcatraz was a terrifying place. It was completely surrounded by water and was very strategically designed so that no one could escape.
Everything from the iron bars to the placement of security guards made it seemingly impossible for an inmate to get out. That is until these three men actually did get out.
The inmate who can be considered the leader because of his brains was Frank Morris. Frank was placed in Alcatraz in January of 1930.
FBI; pictured above is Frank
He had robbed a bank, was a burglar, and was accused of a variety of other crimes. Morris was also known for his attempted escapes at the other prisons he had been placed in.
A pair of brothers had been placed in Alcatraz later that year, John and Clarence Anglin. The three inmates had already known each other from previous prisons.
Most of the escape planning was done by Frank, who was extremely strategic.
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FBI; pictured above is John
So, how did they do it?
On the morning of June 12th, 1962, Frank, John, and Clarence were not in their cells for the routine morning bed check.
The three inmates created fake human heads made of plaster, skin-colored paint, and human hair to place in their beds and fool the guards.
Once it was known that the prisoners were missing, Alcatraz went into lockdown, and the intensive search for the three missing men commenced.
FBI; pictured above is Clarence
The FBI, Coast Guard, and Bureau of Prison authorities all got involved in the search for Frank, John, and Clarence.
Over the course of a few days, they began to discover clues throughout the prison pertaining to the three prisoners. This included a package of letters, a homemade life vest, and a homemade paddle.
After some time, these professionals were able to gather what they believe was the official escape plan of the prisoners.
Using a homemade drill made out of the parts of a broken vacuum cleaner, the prisoners began to loosen the air vents in the back of their cells, creating large holes in the wall. They would cover the holes with objects like cardboard and suitcases until they were ready.
Behind the cell walls was an unguarded utility corridor, which the three prisoners used as a secret workspace. It was there that they built a makeshift raft out of stolen gear and materials like 50 raincoats. They also built wooden paddles and rigged a musical instrument to use to inflate the raft. They used pipes to climb up to the ceiling, where they pried open the ventilator to make their escape.
FBI; pictured above shows how the men arranged the fake heads to trick the guards into thinking they were fast asleep
On the night of June 11th, they broke through the ventilator, climbed off of the roof and over the fence, then presumably escaped on their raft off the northeast shore of the island. No one has been able to find the three men since. It is widely presumed that they are dead, although some believe they could still be alive. The case was closed by the FBI in December of 1979. Creepy, right?
To read more about this clever escape, visit the link here.
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