TERRIFYING Discovery At The Tunnels Of Alcatraz | Expedition Unknown

from being confined in one of the world’s most secure prisons to meticulously planning an escape Josh uncovers a chilling Discovery in the tunnels of Alcatraz he finds himself at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary also known as Alcatraz or the rock a high security prison located on alcatra island in San Francisco Bay California this prison operated from 1934 to 1963 Josh is there to investigate the INF 1962 Prison Break as he reviews the evidence and listens to an FBI agent recount the story the details of the Escape unfold though alcatra Federal Penitentiary was renowned for being escape proof there were several notable Escape attempts none are confirmed to have succeeded the most famous attempt was in 1962 when inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin devised a plan to escape using makeshift rafts and dummy heads to trick the guards during bed checks despite a thorough search no definitive evidence

[01:08]of their survival was found and they are presumed to have drowned in the cold Waters of San Francisco Bay while there were other Escape attempts throughout Alcatraz his history none have been proven successful the prison boasted six guard towers and over 60 guards maintaining the highest ratio of guards to prisoners of any prison its remote location and strong currents made Escape extremely difficult earning it a reputation as one of the most secure prisons in the United States Alcatraz opened in 1934 and for 28 years no inmate successfully escaped until 1962 a year before its closure while the escape attempt might have influenced the decision to close the prison the primary reason was the high cost of operation this is John Anglin cell and clarence’s is right next to it while they were side by side Josh remarks one myth about Alcatraz was its location on an island

[02:13]surrounded by cold seawater making Escape seem nearly impossible located about 1.25 mi from San Francisco’s Shoreline any prisoner who managed to escape would face frigid Waters around 53 deons making survival unlikely the prison Administration and guards perpetuated such myths to deter prisoners from attempting to escape you know no one gets off Alcatraz right you can try but you won’t succeed Josh continues for example prisoners were told that sharks infested the surrounding Waters suggesting that anyone brave enough to swim would become shark bait additionally they were led to believe that the guards were exceptional Marksman ordered to shoot any escapee on site while these claims were unfounded the prison Administration spread these myths to reinforce the idea that escape was futile by promoting these falsehoods they indirectly told prisoners that they would remain locked up until they served their full sentences perks of being a former FBI

[03:23]agent it has its perks wow look at this this is the cell this is amazing close up Cell Block B alcatrazes strict security measures housed many of the nation’s most dangerous criminals including notorious figures like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly to deter thoughts of Escape despite the harsh conditions the inmates desire for Freedom remained strong over the years there were 14 Escape attempts all of which failed resulting in the recapture or death of the prisoners involved with one notable exception the infamous Escape that tarnished alcatrazes reputation involved four inmates Alan West Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin although it’s commonly believed that only Morris and the angland brothers made it out West played a crucial role in planning the Escape I I have to say though now that I’m in here it’s incred incredibly small on the night of the escape a

[04:33]complication arose for West which will be discussed later these four inmates had previously attempted escapes leading to their transfer to Alcatraz in hopes of curbing further efforts notably it was West who initially proposed the idea of breaking out inmates at Alcatraz were assigned various duties including cleaning carpentry and repairs one day while Alan West was cleaning the roof above the cells he noticed a ventilation duct leading to the building’s roof unlike other ducts this one was not solid lacked concrete covering and had steel rods that were relatively easy to cut or break recognizing the potential of this discovery West quickly informed his neighboring inmate Frank Morris whose cell was near the ventilation hole Morris seeing the opportunity presented Ed by West’s observation carefully devised an Escape Plan while the initial idea came from West it was Morris who emerged as The Mastermind due to his

exceptional intelligence prison records showed Morris had an IQ of 133 placing him among the top 2% of the world’s population with this remarkable intellect Morris initiated the Escape Plan by enlisting John and Clarence Anglin who occupied cells next to his their proximity allowed constant communication which was crucial for their plan to access the ventilation pipe hole discovered by West behind their cells the inmates needed to navigate through passageways designed for sanitary ducts once outside their cells they could climb these ducts reach the ventilation hole cut the steel rods and eventually emerge onto the prison roof this is crazy there’s just this Maze of passages behind the cell blocks Josh exclaims in each cell there was a small ventilation opening too narrow for anyone to pass through however Morris noticed that years of neglect had weakened the Prison Walls exacerbated by the corrosive effects of seawater

exploiting this weakness they set about digging through the walls despite lacking proper tools they ingeniously used spoons obtained covertly chisling away at the walls day by day widening these openings was a painstaking process that took months of dedicated effort throughout this task the inmates had to stay vigilant to avoid detection by the guards they worked during times when the prison environment was naturally noisy such as during the inmates nightly Music hours this cover allowed them to continue their digging efforts undetected additionally they took advantage of routine maintenance work within the the prison using these opportunities to dig without raising suspicion the four inmates established a routine coordinating their digging sessions to align with times when they believed they were out of the God’s sight they also appointed one of them to keep watch over the corridor alerting the others if guards approached given Alcatraz his strict

security and its high number of guards such caution was crucial to their escape plan’s success despite the risk of sudden prison accounts and the knowledge of the Escape Plan among nearby inmates no one betrayed the conspirators in fact some inmates even supported the Escape effort it was common for prisoners to assist each other in Escape attempts as a form of solidarity according to personal accounts helping fellow inmates was considered a fundamental principle of being a good prisoner when I was a prisoner here anyone that attempted Escape or wanted to escape I’d help him all I can one inmate reportedly said nearly 80 inmates knew about the escape plan a significant portion of the alcatra population during the digging process remarkably none of them revealed this information to the authorities to conceal the openings they created the escapees devised a clever coverup they crafted cardboard planks in

the prison Workshop painting them to match the cell walls and securely covering the holes additionally they strategically placed personal belongings such as instruments and clothing in front of the openings to further obscure them from the guard’s view after months of painstaking work the inmates successfully widened the openings to fit their bodies completing the first phase of their plan however their ultimate goal was not just to escape the prison but also to leave the Island which required crossing the sea to address this they devised a plan to construct a boat using available materials they found inspiration in a mechanics magazine article detailing how to make a rubber boat and life jackets from raincoats which were plentiful in the prison with help from other inmates they collected and stole 50 raincoats the next challenge was where to store and assemble these items the only available space was on the roof of

their cells the same area where Alan West had discovered the ventilation duct opening however guards regularly monitored this location using cunning tactics West Guided by Morris devised a clever ruse West convinced the guards of the need to cover the bars above the cells with blankets and sheets to prevent dust from falling during cleaning so they climbed up from the utility Corridor where we were earlier the there’s a tarp up here that just gave them cover and they turned it into a workshop Josh explains by consistently demonstrating the dust issue and proposing a solution West gained permission to cover the bars effectively hiding their workshop from view this security lapse was a significant oversight for a prison known for its fortified structure despite the importance of this incident it remained absent from primary reports and and only surfaced in 1990 two decades later highlighting the extent of the Scandal

surrounding alcatrazes security breach the blankets and sheets stayed attached to the bars effectively concealing the workshop for 2 months during this time the inmates took turns going up to the makeshift Workshop to construct the Rubber booat and life jackets and to cut the rods on the ventilation duct opening they transformed the area into a fully equipped Workshop by bringing up all the necessary tools however their lengthy absences from their cells posed a risk as Gods conducted sudden inmate checks to address this they devised a clever solution creating fake heads to deceive the guards into thinking they were sleeping all their work was done at night so they placed the fake heads on their pillows and covered them with blankets when guards conducted checks they saw what appeared to be ahead on each pillow and moved on to the next cell unaware of the inmate’s absence

actual photographs of these fake heads are still preserved in the prison archives creating the fake heads required resourcefulness they used materials readily available in their cells including soap cement dust from the digging process toilet paper paste and dyes from the prison Workshop mixing these materials together they made convincing replicas of their heads the most challenging aspect was simulating hair a task made easier by Clarence Anglin who worked in the prison Barber Shop Clarence brought quantities of prisoner hair until they had enough for all the replicas with their preparations complete the inmates continued their nightly shifts in their Secret Workshop what are they working on up here Josh asks so up here is where they’re making the raft and life jackets the guide explains the inmates diligently worked on the rubber boat and life jackets over the course of 2 months finally the night of June 11th 1962

arrived the night of the great Prison Break as the prison lights were extinguished at 9:30 p.m. the four inmates began executing their escape plan each placed their fake head on their bed and covered it it with a blanket to fool the guards they then opened the ventilation openings they had carefully dug over the preceding months and proceeded to the back Corridor of their cells leading to their workshop and ultimately to the ventilation duct opening that would grant them access to the prison roof however despite their meticulous planning only three of the inmates managed to exit their cells successfully Alan West encountered difficulty opening his ventilation opening as the cement he used to cover the hole had hardened over time making it challenging to dig through again the other three men Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers encouraged Allan to keep trying and follow them as soon as

possible while they continued moving forward as they progressed they prepared the rubber boat and life jackets removing the steel rods from the ventilation duct opening despite their preparations Allan remained trapped in his cell unable to join them according to their prior agreement if any member encountered difficulties the others would proceed without hesitation thus Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers pressed on successfully reaching the prison roof quietly they made their way to the prison walls which consisted of fences they easily cut through before heading to the beach they work their way down the drain pipe it’s the middle of the night pitch black carrying all the gear they’ve got with them right Josh narrates at the beach they utilized an instrument belonging to Frank Morris modified to produce only air without noise to inflate their boat by 700 a.m.

the prison wakeup bell rang initiating the morning count guards found the fake head in Frank Morris’s cell setting off an immediate alarm a comprehensive search operation involving authorities and the FBI commenced Allan unable to escape his cell was questioned first while seemingly Cooperative suspicions arose that he withheld information about his fellow skp’s plans despite thorough searches of the island and surrounding areas no trace of the escapes was found indicating they had successfully entered the sea with their boat despite questioning other inmates none were willing to provide useful information to authorities the search effort expanded becoming one of the largest conducted by the FBI despite exhaustive efforts no trace of the three inmates was found the intricate nature of the alcatra prison break made it successful yet unresolved the FBI scrutinized the investigation for 15 years before handing it over to local authorities the official FBI

conclusion was that the inmates had drowned at sea although doubts persisted about this verdict the primary evidence supporting the theory of their demise was the discovery of bags made from materials similar to those used for the raincoats in crafting their rubber boats and life jackets inside these bags were life jackets but the boat itself remained elusive Additionally the bags contained photos and letters attributed to the Anglin Brothers including images of them and the their families along with letters exchanged during their time in prison the emotional significance attached to these belongings suggested that the brothers would not willingly abandon them unless faced with dire circumstances such as perishing in the ocean we made it off that island and made it a sure 100% 100% sure Josh remarks pointing to a photo of John and Clarence in Brazil as Josh tours the prison he’s overwhelmed by the wealth of

new information he’s gaining it’s surreal to walk down the prison block where the infamous Escape unfolded seeing Frank Morris’s cell and learning that the brothers were farther down the block blows his mind he still can’t grasp how the escapes managed to plan from such distances apart Josh is taken through the prison and even locked in one of the cells to experience firsthand what the inmates endured conf find in such a cramped space he’s shown the tunnels the escapees used to exit their cells and reach the workshop where they made life jackets and rafts then he’s guided through the presumed route the escapes took to reach the ocean but the most exciting part of Josh’s visit is seeing the items in the FBI’s possession that the inmates used to Aid their escape he notes that many of their ideas including the life vests were inspired by literature found in the

prison Library especially old issues of Popular Mechanics it’s fascinating to realize that educational materials readily available within the prison played a crucial role in their escape Josh believes this underscores the importance of further education as it truly can lead to Freedom Josh has shown one of the actual fake vent grates meticulously crafted from layers of cardboard soap and paint it seamlessly covered the deteriorating concrete surrounding the air duct blending in perfectly with the Prison Walls paint color it’s incredible to witness such DIY crafting in a prison setting these inmates dedicated around 6 months to their craft using spoons and discarded blades to chip away at the concrete in their cells they even created a handmade periscope to secretly check for guards showcasing their resourcefulness akin to miva they matched the paint color of the prison wall Josh observes sure did the guide confirms the small mirror

integrated into the Periscope allowed them to peer around corners and potentially survey the prison rooftop before their final Escape additionally they resourcefully repurposed a vacuum cleaner motor into to a drill showcasing their inventive problemsolving abilities Josh’s final stop is at the replica heads those strategically placed on their beds by the inmates to deceive the guards while they worked in the workshop he struck by their lifelike appearance and acknowledges that they could easily deceive anyone particularly in the darkness of night however he notices that there are four heads whereas there were only three escapes there are four of them Josh points out exactly so why are there four of them the guide asks rhetorically Josh is then informed about the initial plan which involved four skaps but one was ultimately Left Behind as Josh concludes his tour he recognizes that despite its reputation as one of

]the most secure prisons in the world Alcatraz had its vulnerabilities as evidenced by the successful Escape AP of the three inmates however it’s unfortunate that these three men have never been cited as their story would undoubtedly make an incredible movie