Official records indicate no prisoner ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz. There are five prisoners listed as "missing and presumed drowned," but no record of an inmate who reached land without getting caught. Thirty-six inmates tried to escape in 14 different attempts during Alcatraz's 29-year history.Here's a summary of the swim related escape attempts. I just copied and pasted these for the blog. The John Bayless attempt description is funny to me. The bay is cold, but surely worth the swim. Didn't John know how good the restaurants were on the other side?
"16 December, 1937 - Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe may have escaped. Officially, they are listed as missing and presumed dead. Currents in the Bay were very strong that night.
15 September, 1941 - John Bayless gave up shortly after noticing how cold the water of the Bay was. John even tried to escape from the courtroom during his trial.
14 April, 1943 - James Boarman, Harold Brest, Floyd Hamilton and Fred Hunter took two officers hostage while at work in the industries area. All four of them climbed out a window and made it to the water's edge. One of the hostages was able to get help and alert other officers to the escape attempt. Hunter and Brest were both apprehended, Boarman was shot and drowned, his body was never recovered. Initially presumed drowned, Hamilton was discovered alive two days later back in the very same industries area where the escape attempt began.
7 August, 1943 - Huron 'Ted' Walters disappeared from the prison laundry building. He was caught at the shoreline.
23 July, 1956 - Floyd Wilson was discovered at the shoreline after several hours of hiding.
29 September, 1958 - Aaron Burgett and Clyde Johnson overpowered a correctional officer and tried to swim from the island. Johnson was caught swimming, Burgett's body was found floating in the bay two weeks later.
11 June, 1962 - Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin disappeared from their cells and were never seen again. They are officially listed as missing and presumably drowned. This is the attempt made famous by the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz.
16 December, 1962 - John Paul Scott and Darl Parker were the last prisoners to try to escape. Parker was discovered on a small rock near the island and returned. Scott, who had tried to swim towards San Francisco, was pulled out to the sea by the strong currents. He was found suffering from shock and hypothermia near Fort Point and was taken to the Presidio Army hospital before he was returned to the Rock."
Training continues. . . my goal is to break the CENTURY mark (100 minutes) in the bay this Sunday. Thanks for checking in!
