Swimmers to commemorate Alcatraz escape

Las Isla de Alcatraz
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Elizabeth Daley

June 11, 2007

Three open water swimmers today will attempt what was once thought impossible: swimming away from Alcatraz.

Swimmers Gary Emich, Steven Hurwitz and Pedro Ordenes will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the infamous 1962 Alcatraz escape orchestrated by Frank Lee Morris and Anglin brothers John William and Clarence by swimming to Alcatraz, then to Aquatic Point, according to the South End Rowing Club.

The swimmers will enter the water at 10 a.m. at the South End Rowing Club located at 500 Jefferson St. and swim two miles in currents that can exceed 7 mph, with waves as high as four feet. Water temperatures may be as low 46 degrees, and none of the swimmers will wear a wetsuit, according to the rowing club.

The fate of Alcatraz escapees Morris and the Anglins has been the subject of much speculation, spawning numerous movies and books. According to the FBI, on the morning of June 12, 1962, guards at Alcatraz Prison discovered Morris and the Anglins were missing from their cells. The three had made dummies and placed them in their bunks, escaping from the island through enlarged vent holes burrowed in the walls and fleeing the prison in a makeshift raft made from rubber raincoats.

Although the FBI conducted an exhaustive investigation, no evidence was ever found to prove that the three escaped convicts ever reached the shore. Authorities presume Morris and both Anglins died, however their bodies were never recovered.

The three seasoned swimmers attempting today's "escape" have already swum the route 499 times. They will be followed by a media boat, leaving little speculation as to their fate.

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