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Alcatraz Escapes

A numbered list of every daring escape from Alcatraz, each linked to its full story.

Complete List of Alcatraz Escape Attempts (1934–1963)

During Alcatraz's operation as a federal prison, 36 inmates participated in 14 separate escape attempts. (FBI)

1. April 27, 1936 – Joseph Bowers

  • Attempted to climb a fence near the island shoreline.

  • Ignored repeated orders to stop.

  • Shot by a guard and died from his injuries. (Wikipedia)

2. December 16, 1937 – Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe

  • Filed through bars in the prison's mat shop.

  • Reached the shoreline and disappeared into San Francisco Bay.

  • Never found; officially listed as missing and presumed drowned. (Wikipedia)

3. May 23, 1938 – Rufus Franklin

  • Worked as a garbage detail inmate.

  • Slipped through a window and headed toward the water.

  • Captured before reaching freedom. (alcatrazhistory.com)

4. January 13, 1939 – Arthur "Doc" Barker

  • Escaped from the prison industries building.

  • Reached the shoreline.

  • Shot and killed by guards. (alcatrazhistory.com)

5. May 21, 1941 – Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle, and Lloyd Barkdoll

  • Took guards hostage in a prison workshop.

  • Attempted to reach a launch boat.

  • Surrendered when the plan failed. (alcatrazhistory.com)

6. September 15, 1941 – John Bayless

  • Tried escaping by disguising himself and hiding.

  • Found during a prisoner count.

  • Captured without leaving the island. (alcatrazhistory.com)

7. April 14, 1943 – James Boarman, Harold Brest, Fred Hunter, and Floyd Hamilton

  • Stole prison clothing and cut through fencing.

  • Reached the water.

  • Boarman was shot and killed; the others were captured. (alcatrazhistory.com)

8. August 7, 1943 – Huron "Ted" Walters

  • Hid in a dock area and attempted to leave with military personnel.

  • Discovered and captured. (alcatrazhistory.com)

9. July 31, 1945 – John Giles

  • Stole an Army uniform.

  • Boarded a military ferry leaving the island.

  • Discovered before reaching the mainland and returned to Alcatraz. (alcatrazhistory.com)

10. May 2–4, 1946 – The Battle of Alcatraz

  • Participants: Bernard Coy, Joseph Cretzer, Marvin Hubbard, Clarence Carnes, Sam Shockley, and Miran Thompson.

  • Seized weapons and took guards hostage.

  • Failed to obtain keys needed to leave the prison.

  • Three inmates were killed during the battle; two were later executed. (HISTORY)

11. July 23, 1956 – Floyd Wilson

  • Hid in a shoreline crevice after work detail.

  • Planned to escape after dark.

  • Found and captured before leaving the island. (alcatrazhistory.com)

12. September 29, 1958 – Aaron Burgett and Clyde Johnson

  • Sawed through bars and reached the water.

  • Attempted to swim away using improvised flotation devices.

  • Captured in the bay. (alcatrazhistory.com)

13. June 11–12, 1962 – Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin

  • Dug through ventilation openings behind their cells.

  • Used dummy heads to fool guards.

  • Escaped on a homemade raincoat raft.

  • Never found; officially missing and presumed drowned. (FBI)

14. December 16, 1962 – John Paul Scott and Darl Lee Parker

  • Cut through bars in a prison utility area.

  • Entered San Francisco Bay.

  • Parker was captured near the island.

  • Scott reached the mainland but collapsed from hypothermia and was captured. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Official Alcatraz totals: 36 inmates involved in 14 escape attempts. Of those, 23 were captured, 6 were shot and killed, 2 drowned, and 5 remain listed as missing and presumed drowned. (HISTORY

A misty view of Alcatraz Island with the prison looming under a cloudy sky, evoking the mystery of the escapes.
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