1962 Alcatraz Prison Break may Have Been Successful, Dutch Researchers Claim
The famous prison break at Alcatraz in 1962 involving three prisoners which the FBI concluded as a failed attempt, may actually have succeeded, a new study claims.
According to Fox News, the three prisoners John and his brother Clarence Anglin along with inmate Frank Morris escaped from the island located in San Francisco Bay, in a float made from 50 raincoats and inflated with a musical instrument. After a 17-year long investigation, FBI said the men drowned in the cold waters of the bay before reaching land. The new study from a team of Dutch researchers claims that the men could have survived had they set sail after 23.30 hours.
"The simulations show that if the prisoners had left before 23.00, they would have had absolutely no chance of surviving. The strong currents would have taken them out to sea. However, if they left between 23.00 and midnight, there is a good chance they reached Horseshoe Bay north of the Golden Gate Bridge," said Fedor Baart, a hydraulic engineer in a news release.
The team made the findings after releasing nearly 50 experimental boats from different points on the prison island. The study model also pointed out that the location of debris of the float would be found around Angel Island north of Alcatraz, where the FBI found them.
The study team was modelling the bay to determine levels of water rise when it occurred to them their work could shed light on the prison break that continuous to intrigue, USA Today reported.
"Of course, this doesn't prove this was what really happened, but the latest and best hydraulic modelling information indicates that it was certainly possible. We also suspect the prisoners may have left later than has always been assumed because an escape at 22.00 doesn't fit in with where the paddle was found," said Rolf Hut, a Delft University researcher.
