webfact Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Alcatraz 1962 escapees had small chance of successRebecca MorelleBy Rebecca MorelleScience Correspondent, BBC News, San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO: -- Three inmates who famously escaped from the US island prison Alcatraz had a small chance of making it to land alive - but the odds were stacked against them, a new study suggests.In 1962, the prisoners absconded using a raft, and were never seen again.A novel computer model now indicates that if they set off right at midnight, they could have made landfall.But if they left in the hours either side, it is very likely they died in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay.The study was carried out by scientists at Delft University and the research institute Deltares, both in the Netherlands, and is being presented this week at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, which is hosted in the California city.Fake headsThis prison break - dramatized by Clint Eastwood in the film Escape from Alcatraz - is one of the most daring and intricate escapes ever attempted. Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30349106 -- BBC 2014-12-15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Jack LaLane swam handcuffed from the rock to San Francisco in 1955. http://www.jacklalanne.com/jacks-adventures/feats-and-honors.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Credo Posted December 15, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted December 15, 2014 Jack LaLane probably trained for his swim. For some odd reason, the guards probably didn't allow swimming lessons to prisoners. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Jack LaLane was 41 and a lot less motivated. I hope that they made it. I carried Jack LaLane's bags when I worked at the Four Seasons Clift Hotel in San Francisco. He was very tiny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EyesWideOpen Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 There is a yearly swim from Alcatraz to the mainland every year, with hundreds of people doing the swim. Telling the inmates there they would die in the cold water was just a crock of shit to scare them..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Just imagine how many millions of dollars he could have made selling his story to the film studios and book..... if he did survived that is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicog Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Jack LaLane was 41 and a lot less motivated. I hope that they made it. I carried Jack LaLane's bags when I worked at the Four Seasons Clift Hotel in San Francisco. He was very tiny. He was apparently very fit as well! 1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes he was, but a weird little guy that reminded me of a pixie. I was expecting someone more impressive as I had always thought he was a muscle man. Of course, when I met him he was in his mid sixties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer666 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Mythbusters replicated this escape and found it relatively easy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suradit69 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO: -- Three inmates who famously escaped from the US island prison Alcatraz had a small chance of making it to land alive - but the odds were stacked against them, a new study suggests. I wonder what this study cost and what the collateral benefit to mankind will be. They could have probably reached the same startling conclusion by consulting Carnac the Magnificent (before he died in 2005). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post goldmonky Posted December 15, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted December 15, 2014 Three 1962 Alcatraz escapees , alive and well living in Pataya 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickyboy Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 all that time and money spent researching that i think i get a job researching the taste of leo singha and chang see which one is best for me actually i done it and leo best for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EyesWideOpen Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Forgot the actual distance, but standing on the island here it just does not look that far. It certainly is an interesting tour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I read that Alcatraz was the only federal prison at the time that had warm water for the inmates showers so they couldn't use cold water showers to condition themselves for a cold water swim escape attempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggt Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Must be a slow day to bring up what "might have happened" to escaped prisoners from back in 1962... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank James Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Jack LaLane swam handcuffed from the rock to San Francisco in 1955. http://www.jacklalanne.com/jacks-adventures/feats-and-honors.php The very mention of the name "Jack LaLanne" causes Chuck Norris's jewel sack to contract dangerously. A genuine American Original Hero. R.I.P. He walked the talk, all his long and happy life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveAustin Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I wonder what this study cost and what the collateral benefit to mankind will be. They could have probably reached the same startling conclusion by consulting Carnac the Magnificent (before he died in 2005). I'm glad the Dutch uni did put the time and effort into this; it's an intriguing part of history, one of the greatest escapes along with the Great Escape, Devil's Island and La Santé. Why would it bother you and why the depressive undertone in your posts? Just pass over if you don't like a topic. Anyway, thanks for contributing to my 'ignore' list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine51 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 @ EWO...Your pic...post #13....there's a hell of a current that runs between those two land masses and that water is quite cold. Swimming against a 10-12 knot current isn't impossible but it is highly improbable the swimmer will make their destination unless said swimmer knows exactly what to do and how to do it. When the yearly swim competitions are held they're at slack time...meaning almost no current as the tide isn't changing...which happens twice a day. Plus...there are also sharks in SF Bay...but they're the least of a swimmers worry since the Bay has enough rubbish in it to placate a sharks hunger! I used to live in Sausalito, you back is to it in the photo....Nice SF skyline pic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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