The 11: 30 Escape That Proved Nothing

Name: The 11:30 Escape That Proved Nothing
Genre: Documentary

The best scientific route offers a plausible landing but cannot answer whether the three vanished men ever reached it.

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Transcript

Three men vanished from Alcatraz—and were never seen again.
On June 12th, 1962, guards found dummy faces in their bunks.
The decoys used cardboard and human hair to make three beds look occupied.
On the morning of June 12th, 1962, an officer's flashlight swept the cell row.
The escape plan used homemade drills to enlarge ventilation holes.
False wall sections concealed the work, while three inmates slipped through rear vents.
Allen West helped plan the escape, but remained inside his cell when guards discovered it.
The three men climbed utility pipes, bent iron bars, and reached the cellblock roof.
At the northeast side, prison-issued raincoats became a raft and crude life vests.
Alcatraz had 36 prisoners join escape attempts, with five unaccounted for.
Life vests and oars were recovered; the escapees are listed as missing and presumed drowned.
Hydraulic study released 50 virtual boats every 30 minutes from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The model found a narrow window when the raft could reach land without paddling.
Best launch time: 11:30 p.m., toward Horseshoe Bay inside the Golden Gate.
A 2013 letter claiming to be from John Anglin was sent. The letter claimed all three men survived the escape night.
The researchers warned that even the best simulation did not prove survival.
The 11:30 p.m. route was plausible—but did they ever reach it?

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