Three Inmates Escaped From The Maximum-Security Federal Prison On Alcatraz Island, Located In San Francisco Bay. The Men Were Frank Lee Morris And Brothers John And Clarence Anglin. They Were Serving Time For Bank Robbery And Other Crimes. The Escape Was Executed With Precision And Remains One Of The Most Notorious Prison Breaks In United States History.
The Escape Plan Involved Extensive Preparation. Over A Period Of Months, The Inmates Used Homemade Tools To Dig Through The Ventilation Ducts Behind Their Cells. They Created A Raft And Life Vests From More Than Fifty Raincoats. They Also Made Dummy Heads From Soap, Paper Mâché, And Real Human Hair To Fool Guards During Night Checks. On The Night Of June 11, They Slipped Through The Vent Holes, Climbed To The Roof, And Descended To The Shore. They Launched Their Raft Into The Cold Waters Of San Francisco Bay.
The Escape Was Discovered The Next Morning. A Massive Manhunt Was Launched By The FBI, The Coast Guard, And Local Law Enforcement. Despite An Intensive Search, No Trace Of The Inmates Was Found In The Bay. Debris From The Raft And A Personal Belonging Of One Anglin Brother Were Later Discovered. However, The FBI Could Not Confirm The Fate Of The Escapees. In 1979, After Seventeen Years Of Investigation, The FBI Closed The Case And Declared That The Inmates Likely Drowned. The U.S. Marshals Service Has Continued To List Them As Wanted Fugitives.
The 1962 Escape Exposed Weaknesses In Alcatraz’s Security And Contributed To Its Closure. On March 21, 1963, Less Than A Year After The Escape, The Prison Was Shut Down Due To High Operating Costs And Structural Decay. Alcatraz Had Been Viewed As Escape-Proof Because Of Its Isolation, Strong Currents, And Cold Water. The Success Of The Escape Challenged This Perception.
The Escape From Alcatraz Has Had A Lasting Impact On American Culture. It Inspired Books, Documentaries, And The 1979 Film Escape From Alcatraz, Starring Clint Eastwood As Frank Morris. The Case Also Remains A Subject Of Ongoing Interest Among Historians, Law Enforcement, And The Public.
In 2013, The FBI Released A Letter Allegedly Written By One Of The Escapees, Which Claimed That All Three Survived. However, The Authenticity Of The Letter Could Not Be Verified. As Of 2025, The Escapees’ Ultimate Fate Remains Unknown, And The Case Stands As One Of The Most Famous Unsolved Mysteries In American Criminal History.
References / More Knowledge:
Federal Bureau Of Investigation. “Escape From Alcatraz.” FBI Records: The Vault. https://vault.fbi.gov/alcatraz-escape
National Park Service. “Alcatraz Island: The Great Escape.” U.S. Department Of The Interior. https://www.nps.gov/alca/learn/historyculture/thegreatescape.htm
U.S. Marshals Service. “Alcatraz Escapees.” Wanted Fugitives Archive. https://www.usmarshals.gov/wanted/alcatraz/index.html
Langley, L.D. (2008). America’s Historic Sites: Alcatraz Island. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.