TERRIFYING Discovery At The Tunnels Of Alcatraz | Expedition Unknown

Alcatraz Island, once known for housing America’s most dangerous criminals, is now a mystery and intrigue. The notorious institution, located on the remote Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California, served as a high-security federal prison from 1934 until its closure in 1963. Josh, an experienced FBI agent, embarks on a mission to uncover the mysterious past of Alcatraz, particularly the infamous prison break of 1962.

Alcatraz gained notoriety for its harsh conditions, extreme isolation, and the widespread belief that it was impossible to escape due to its isolated location and the dangerous currents encircling the island. However, there were instances of prisoners attempting to break free, with the most renowned incident unfolding in 1962. Three inmates—Frank Morris, Brothers John and Clarence Anglin—devised a plan to escape capture by creating rudimentary rafts and crafting lifelike dummy heads to deceive guards during routine bed checks. Despite their meticulous planning, the ultimate fate of these escapees remains wrapped in mystery, with speculations suggesting they met their demise by drowning in the frigid waters of the bay.

The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary stood tall and scary on Alcatraz Island, about 1.25 miles from the busy shores of San Francisco. It was like a fortress in the rough seas of the bay, with temperatures hovering around a bone-chilling 53°F. The icy currents would make it nearly impossible for even the most dangerous inmate to get through the prison’s thick walls. The prison’s management and guards worked hard to create an air of invincibility around Alcatraz by spreading a web of myths and tales meant to stop anyone from thinking about escaping.

Inside the grim prison walls, stories of quick and cruel punishments for would-be escapees spread, making people deeply afraid of the dangerous waters and the never-ending pursuit of justice that awaited anyone who tried to defy the prison’s iron grip. To keep people from trying to escape, the people in charge of Alcatraz used a web of scary myths and tales to make people deeply afraid of the dangers that awaited anyone who tried to escape.

Stories about sharks lurking in the icy waters around the island, ready to kill anyone foolish enough to try the dangerous swim to freedom, were told over and over again. Inmates were told that there were always dangerous animals in the water and that the jail guards were expert shooters, who were told to kill any prisoner they saw trying to escape the island fortress. The strict security at Alcatraz made it the perfect place for some of America’s most notorious criminals to live. People who wanted to escape were scared just thinking about Alcatraz because they thought the island fortress could not be broken into.

But the harsh facts of life in prison on the Rock didn’t change the prisoners’ strong desire for freedom. Over the years, brave prisoners came up with a lot of crazy escape plans, and over time, every attempt failed. The brave people involved were either caught or killed. Still, one escape stands out as an example of how creative and strong people can be. Alan West, Frank Morris, John and Clarence Anglin, and their siblings were four prisoners who attempted to escape from Alcatraz, a notorious prison. Before being sent to Alcatraz, these inmates had tried many times to escape from other jails, and West was the first to think of escaping.

West found a hole in the ventilation duct that led to the outside of the house, reinforced with steel rods that could easily be cut or broken. He informed Frank Morris, another prisoner whose cell was next to the air hole, about the possibility, and Morris jumped at the chance to make a detailed escape plan. Morris’ records show that he had an IQ of 133, demonstrating his intelligence and strategic acumen. He led the way in starting the escape plan by getting John and Clarence Anglin—two other prisoners whose cells were easily located next to his own—to help him.

They had to go through passages built to fit sanitary ducts to get to the ventilation pipe opening that West had found behind their own cells. Once they were out of their cells, it was easy for them to climb these ducts until they reached the ventilation opening. There, they could cut the steel rods and get to the jail roof. The inmates took advantage of the weaker jail walls due to a lack of maintenance and the corrosive effects of the sea. They began digging through the walls using secret spoons to chip away at the walls every day. This was a careful job that took months of constant commitment, and the prisoners had to stay alert at all times to ensure the guards couldn’t see or hear what they were doing.

To keep their secret activities going, the prisoners planned to do their work at times when the jail was likely to be noisy, like when the prisoners played music every night. Additionally, they took advantage of times when regular repair tasks were being done inside the prison to break down walls without drawing attention to themselves. The four prisoners set up a pattern and timed their digging projects for times when they thought the guards weren’t looking. To keep things from being caught, they carefully planned their timing and synchronization. They chose one of them to be a lookout, placed in a way that would keep a close eye on the hallway and be ready to alert any coming guards, lowering the risk of being caught.

Because of the strict security measures at Alcatraz, the prisoners had to plan and carry out their escape plan very carefully for it to work. Their hard work and ability to work together showed how determined they were to escape the notorious jail despite the risk of sudden counts by alert guards and word of the escape plan getting around among close prisoners. None of the prisoners turned on the plotters, and some even offered to help with the project, demonstrating the close community and the importance of helping others escape the prison. Around 80 prisoners, a significant portion of Alcatraz’s population at the time, knew about an escape plan while digging was happening.

Despite being aware of the secret operation, none of the prisoners betrayed their fellow prisoners by telling the police about it. The prisoners who managed to escape created holes in their cell walls using cardboard planks made from items found in the jail workshop and painted to match the rest of the prison. They also placed personal items, like musical instruments and clothes, in front of the fake holes, making it harder for guards to see them during regular cell checks. After months of hard work, the prisoners were able to make the hole in their cell walls bigger so that their bodies could fit.

Their goals went beyond just getting out of jail. They also wanted to get across the dangerous waters that surrounded the island. To deal with this problem, they came up with a plan to build a makeshift boat out of whatever they could find inside the jail. They found and collected 50 raincoats and used them to build a rubber boat and life jackets. To avoid being caught by the careful guards, who were often watching the area, Alan West and Morris worked together to cover the bars above the cells with blankets and sheets to prevent dust from building up while they were cleaning.

This led to the scandal over the security breach at Alcatraz. During two months, the prisoners planned their actions so that no one would suspect anything. Every day, at least one of them would go up to the hidden studio and work hard on building the rubber boat and making life jackets out of the old raincoats they had saved. They also made sure to cut the steel rods on the opening of the ventilation duct so they could get to the top when needed. To keep things secret, the prisoners stuck to a strict routine and used coded signals and shifts as lookouts to let each other know when guards were coming. Working quickly and quietly, they used makeshift tools twisted together from things they found in jail or got in secret to reduce the risk of being away from their cells for long periods during nighttime work sessions.

The prisoners made fake heads that looked just like real ones. They carved and painted these heads in the dark, making sure they looked eerily like their real faces. Once they were done, the fake heads were put on their pillows and hidden under blankets to make it look like the prisoners were happily asleep in their beds. The guards were fooled by this clever trick when they did their regular bed checks, as they saw what looked like peaceful sleeping prisoners and didn’t think anything of it. This allowed the prisoners to continue their secret activities without being interrupted. Photos of these carefully made fake heads have been kept in the jail archives, showing how creative and resourceful the prisoners were in their search for freedom.

The Alcatraz jailbreak was a complex and dangerous operation that took place on June 11th, 1962. Four prisoners, including Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, worked tirelessly in their secret workshop to build a rubber boat and life jackets. They planned to escape by setting up fake heads on their beds and digging ventilation shafts to escape onto the prison roof. However, only three of the prisoners were able to escape as planned. Alan West, Frank Morris, and the Anglin brothers faced an unexpected problem when trying to open his air shaft, which was made difficult by hardened cement.

Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers continued with their plan, preparing for the escape by assembling the rubber boat and life jackets and taking out the steel rods from the ventilation duct opening. Alan stayed in his cell due to a blockage in his air shaft. The plan was to have the others start the flight if one of them ran into problems. Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers managed to reach the top of the jail without being seen, and they used a modified instrument to inflate their boat without anyone noticing. The prison’s wake-up bell rang at 7:00 a.m., allowing the morning headcount to begin. Alan was questioned first because he couldn’t get out of his jail, but police thought he was hiding information about the escape plans.

When they reached San Francisco, despite extensive searches, no sign