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United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (English: / ˈ æ l k ə ˌ t r æ z /, Spanish: [a l k a ˈ t ɾ a θ] "the gannet") or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States.
Bernard Paul "Barney" Coy (February 13, 1900 [1] – May 4, 1946) was an American bank robber and federal prisoner best known as the planner of a failed escape attempt from Alcatraz, on May 2, 1946, which turned into a bloody two-day armed confrontation leaving Coy, two fellow would-be escapees and two prison guards dead.
It had seemed impossible to escape from Alcatraz by swimming. [3] The seasonal water temperature in the San Francisco Bay is about 53 °F (12 °C) in December [4] and the current can exceed 6 knots. [5] Citing these facts, as well as occasional visits from great white sharks and razor-sharp rocks, prison officers had discouraged most escape ...
The Battle of Alcatraz, which lasted from May 2 to 4, 1946, was the result of an escape attempt at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary by armed convicts. Two Federal Bureau of Prisons officers—William A. Miller and Harold Stites—were killed (Miller by inmate Joseph Cretzer who attempted escape and Stites by friendly fire).
Modernization of the prison began in October 1933 and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary opened in August 1934, ending some eighty years of U.S. Army occupation. 32 hardened Army prisoners remained at Alcatraz while the rest were shifted to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, Fort Jay, New Jersey and several others.
Al Capone Bernard Coy Sam Shockley Frank Morris Clarence Anglin William G Baker. This is a list of notable inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.An inmate register reveals that there were 1576 prisoners in total which were held at Alcatraz during its time as a Federal Penitentiary, between 1934 and 1963, although figures reported have varied and some have stated it to be 1557.
Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner, and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United States.
Joseph "Dutch" Bowers (December 13, 1896 – April 27, 1936) was the first man to attempt an escape from Alcatraz prison. He was born in Rohrbach, Austria. Bowers was arrested for robbery of mail with a firearm. [1]