Known worldwide as “The Rock,” Alcatraz Island once housed the ultimate maximum security prison. The infamous Alcatraz escape of June 11, 1962, where three inmates seemingly vanished into the unforgiving waters of San Francisco Bay, remains one of history’s most baffling unsolved mysteries.
For nearly three decades, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary held America’s most dangerous criminals, yet the question of whether Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers truly survived their daring break continues to fascinate and perplex.
Alcatraz: The Rock’s Unyielding Reputation
Situated on a lonely island amidst the treacherous currents of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz’s history as a place of confinement dates back to the Civil War. However, it was its transformation in 1934 into a maximum-security federal prison that cemented its legendary status. Designed to be inescapable, its cold, rough Pacific waters, coupled with reinforced iron bars, strategically placed guard towers, and stringent daily checks, made any thought of breaking out seem like a fantasy. Notable inmates included figures like Al Capone and the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” all held within its formidable walls. Despite these daunting odds, from its opening until its closure in 1963, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes. Most were either captured swiftly or perished in the attempt, yet the fate of three men from the 1962 Alcatraz prison break endures as an open question.
The Masterminds Behind the Alcatraz Escape
The dawn of June 12, 1962, brought anything but routine to Alcatraz. A morning bed check revealed that three convicts—John Anglin, his brother Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris—were missing. In their beds lay cleverly built dummy heads crafted from plaster, flesh-toned paint, and real human hair, which had successfully deceived the night guards. The prison immediately went into lockdown, initiating an intense manhunt.
John and Clarence Anglin
John William Anglin and Clarence Anglin hailed from a family of 13 children in Donalsonville, Georgia. Their early lives were marked by the itinerant existence of seasonal farmworkers. By the early 1940s, the family relocated to Ruskin, Florida, finding more stable income in truck farms and tomato fields, though they still traveled north to Michigan for cherry picking. The brothers were reportedly inseparable throughout their youth. Their criminal careers led them to federal prison after robbing a bank in Columbia, Alabama, in 1958. They met Frank Morris and Allen West at Atlanta Penitentiary. After unsuccessful escape attempts from Florida State Prison and Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, John arrived at Alcatraz on October 21, 1960, followed by Clarence on January 10, 1961. Within a year, they would embark on an elaborate escape from Alcatraz alongside Morris and West.
Frank Lee Morris
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1926, Frank Lee Morris became an orphan at age 11, spending much of his youth in foster homes. His criminal record began at 13, escalating to narcotics possession and armed robbery by his late teens. Morris possessed an exceptional intellect, scoring in the top two percent on IQ tests. After serving time in Florida and Georgia, he famously escaped from Louisiana State Penitentiary while serving a sentence for bank robbery. Recaptured a year later during a burglary, he was transferred to Alcatraz in 1960. He, along with John and Clarence Anglin, disappeared in June 1962, never to be officially seen again.
Allen Clayton West: The Fourth Conspirator
A fourth conspirator, Allen Clayton West, was also involved in the intricate planning but ultimately failed to make it out. Convicted of car theft in 1955, West served time in Atlanta and Florida State Prison before being transferred to Alcatraz in 1957 following an escape attempt. On the night of the escape, West struggled to fully remove his cell’s ventilator grill in time and was regrettably left behind, becoming a crucial informant for investigators.
The Intricate Escape Plan Unveiled
Once the escape was discovered, the FBI was immediately alerted. The San Francisco office initiated a nationwide search, checking records, interviewing relatives, and urging boat operators in the Bay to report any suspicious debris. Within days, a packet of sealed letters, paddle-like wood pieces, bits of rubber inner tube, and a homemade life vest were recovered from the water or washed ashore. However, extensive searches yielded no further items in the immediate area.
Assisted by Allen West’s detailed testimony, investigators began to piece together the ingenious escape plan. The plot commenced in December, when the group acquired old saw blades. Using crude tools, including a homemade drill fashioned from a broken vacuum cleaner motor, the conspirators painstakingly loosened the air vents at the back of their cells. They drilled closely spaced holes around the covers until entire sections of the wall could be removed. The openings were then camouflaged with suitcases or cardboard, effectively hiding their progress from unsuspecting guards.
Behind the cells lay an unguarded utility corridor. Through these newly created openings, the men accessed the corridor and climbed to the roof of their cell block, establishing a secret workshop. There, they rotated shifts to keep watch for guards, utilizing various stolen and donated materials to construct their escape apparatus. More than 50 stolen raincoats were transformed into makeshift life preservers and a 6×14 foot rubber raft. The seams of the raft were carefully stitched and
