The Only Successful Escape From Alcatraz

TL;DR

Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers likely survived their 1962 Alcatraz escape using a year of meticulous planning and improvised tools.

Key Points

• 1.Frank Morris (IQ 133) led the escape alongside brothers John and Clarence Anglin after all three had prior prison escape records, which is what landed them in Alcatraz
• 2.Over one year, they drilled through cell walls using a motor from a broken vacuum cleaner, discovered a hidden corridor, and built a secret rooftop workshop
• 3.Their escape gear included a raft made from 50+ raincoats stitched with stolen plastic, life preservers, plywood oars, and a stolen accordion used to inflate the raft — all inspired by Popular Mechanics and Sports Illustrated articles
• 4.On June 11, 1962, they escaped through a roof ventilator, shimmied down a smokestack, climbed a barbed wire fence, and launched their raft from the island's northeast shore; fourth conspirator Alan West failed to get through his cell vent in time
• 5.Papier-mâché dummies with real hair from the prison barbershop fooled guards during the night count, delaying discovery until morning roll call
• 6.Evidence found included an oar 183m south of Angel Island, a plastic-wrapped wallet with the Anglins' contacts, and two life vests — one still knotted, suggesting it was never properly worn
• 7.The FBI investigated for 17 years, closed the case in 1979 with no confirmed deaths or captures; Morris and the Anglins remain on the U.S. Marshals' most wanted list to this day