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June 1962 Alcatraz escape attempt: Escape from Alcatraz

Aftermath Escape Try

Sunday Dec 16, 1962
Alcatraz, San Francisco, USA

On December 16, 1962, inmate John Paul Scott successfully swam a distance of 2.7 nautical miles (5.0 km; 3.1 mi) from Alcatraz to Fort Point, at the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. He was found there by teenagers, suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion. After recovering in Letterman General Hospital, he was immediately returned to Alcatraz. It is the only proven case of an Alcatraz inmate reaching the shore by swimming. Scott's escape, undertaken in slightly more unfavorable conditions than Morris and the Anglins faced, and using a means of flotation that was far inferior to the raft constructed by Morris and the Anglins ( Scott made water wings by inflating stolen rubber gloves ) shook the line of reasoning that Morris and the Anglins had likely drowned. Today, a multitude of athletes swim the same Alcatraz to Fort Point route as part of one of two annual triathlon events.


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