SAN FRANCISCO, USA - The Rock

20:51 Travel Bunny 1 Comments

Alcatraz Island is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal penitentiary from 1934 – 1963. It used to housed notorious criminals including Al Capone, Robert Stroud better known as “Birdman of Alcatraz" and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.

Today, Alcatraz Island also known as the ‘Rock’ is a national park. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33.








Alcatraz Landing Cafe. Alcatraz Cruises apparel and souvenirs items are also for sale in the Cafe. But you can get souvenirs at Alcatraz Island anyway so I didn’t stop by.



The Alcatraz landing at Pier 33 is where the Alcatraz cruise departs. It’s just a short walk from Pier 39.





The Alcatraz fire power, Rodman Cannon. There were more than one hundred cannons placed on the island but were never fired even once for battle.



6.10 departure. Whoa….there’s already a long queue.



The Rock wasn’t a pleasant place to stay as evident in the quote from the last con to leave Alcatraz: “It’s mighty good to get up and leave. This Rock ain’t no good for nobody.”





This is my boarding ticket. The night tour is slightly more expensive (USD 35) than the normal day tour (USD 28) but it has special programs that day tour doesn’t have. I bought the tickets through the official website at www.alcatrazcruises.com weeks before the departure date. The ticket often sell out several days in advance, especially the night tour.



Time to board the Alcatraz Cruise ship.





Got me a nice place to sit at the top deck of the boat.



Bay Bridge at the south of the city can be seen as the ferry leaves the harbour.










That’s Pier 39.





The view of Golden Gate Bridge as the boat moves closer to the Rock.





Alcatraz, here I come.



Alcatraz Island was finally in sight.



The ferry goes around the island before it stops for landing. From this angle, you can see the cell house at the centre and the lighthouse on the right.











That’s San Francisco city.





The whole skyline of San Francisco can be seen as the ferry travelled closer to the island.







As you can see, Alcatraz is not far from San Francisco city.













The sun about to set.







In 1969, a group of American Indians from many different tribes, calling themselves Indians of All Tribes began the 18-month occupation of the island. After 18 months of occupation, the government forced the occupiers off. Today, graffiti from the period of American Indian occupation is still visible on the island.







Proceeding to the lower deck before disembarking.








Woohoo, I have landed at the Rock.



Jim Quillen was a former bank robber who shared Alcatraz’s infamous D block with Stroud in the 1940’s. After he was released from the prison, he later wrote a book about his life in Alcatraz titled “Alcatraz from Inside: The Hard Years 1942-1952”.



The lower military prison.



During the Civil War, Confederate sympathisers, political prisoners, deserters, and other army convicts were sent to Alcatraz. This marked the beginning of the island’s evolution from fort to prison.








The Guard Tower.






Heavily armed guards kept watch from this tower.









This is my tour group at the island.



Some sections of Alcatraz are unsafe and thus closed for public visitation.




Alcatraz Garden was planted by families of the original Army post, and later by families of the prison guards. It fell into neglect after the prison closure in 1963. The untended gardens had become severely overgrown and had developed into a nesting habitat and sanctuary for numerous birds.






You can see seagulls everywhere on the island.





After a 15 minutes hike up hill…….



…….I finally arrive at the main prison of Alcatraz. Each visitor will be given a headphone set for the audio tour inside the prison.





14 escape attempts, any successful escapes? Officially, there are no successful escapees. Some beg to differ.



Break the rules and you go to prison, break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz.





People posing in front of the cell house.



My turn, my turn.






Each prisoner would be assigned their own cell but only the basic minimum life necessities would be given.





The famous inmates of Alcatraz. Alphonse ‘Scarface’ Capone, George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, Arthur ‘Doc’ Barker, Alvin ‘Creepy Karpis’ Karpavicz, Robert ‘The Birdman’ Stroud, Ellsworth ‘Bumpy’ Johnson and Meyer ‘Mickey’ Cohen.



The area in between the Mess Hall and the cell blocks is called Times Square. At least three times a day, prisoners would assemble here before breakfast, lunch or dinner.



The prison library. Inmates would be given restricted access to the Prison Library, but no newspapers, radios, magazines, or other non-approved reading materials would be allowed during their term in Alcatraz.



“The Hole” in D Block is a dark steel covered cell with no toilet or sink. It was reserved for unusually dangerous or violent inmates. Inmates were placed in the cell without clothing and were put on severely restricted diets. Once the solid steel outer door was closed, it would leave the inmate in total darkness. It was genuinely feared by all the inmates.




Getting behind the bars at the ‘Hole’.



Trust me, you do not want to be locked inside these scary cells.



Eerie feeling inside the cell. Cell 14D, the most haunted cell in the prison.



Locked behind bars.



One happy ‘inmate’.







Some cells were decorated to depict life of an inmate inside the cells.



But most cells are left empty.



The visitor’s booth.



A list of visitation rules and regulations for inmates on Alcatraz.



Visitation rights would have to be earned by the inmates, and no visits would be allowed for the first three months of residence at Alcatraz. All visits would have to be approved directly by the Warden, and their number would be limited to only once per month.



Life was pretty harsh for the inmates of Alcatraz and some inmates were willing to risk their lives to try to escape its terror. The most famous escape attempt involved Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin. This is the cell where the concrete were chipped away behind the vent. To trick the guards, they put lifelike papier-mâché dummies in their beds.



The air vent led to this corridor. The escape route then led up through a fan vent; the fan and motor had been removed and replaced with a steel grille, leaving a shaft large enough for a prisoner to climb through. They also created inflatable rafts using several stolen raincoats to get across the water. Mysteriously, the three were never seen again, and no one know if they are alive.

The June 1962 Alcatraz Escape is the most famous escape of the ‘Rock’. Even though the case was closed in 1979, after a 17 years investigation, many believed they managed to escaped this fortified prison. If you want to know more about the escape, you can always watch the movie ‘Escape From Alcatraz’, staring Clint Eastwood.



"Broadway" - The Main Corridor of the Cell house on Alcatraz.



The cells along this passageway were considered the least desirable in the prison because they were the least private, as inmates, guards, and other prison personnel frequented this corridor.





Alcatraz is considered as a super-maximum security prison of that era.



The photograph of  former inmates who came back to visit Alcatraz.



A former inmate, Ed Ramirez is now counselling young men who committed crimes.



Sitting on a long bench inside the dining hall of the prison. It was often referred to as the Mess Hall.



Inmates were served three meals. Surprisingly, the men thought the food was the best in Federal prison system and they could have plenty of it just as long as they finished their food.




A breakfast menu dated 21 March 1963 is still preserved on the wall. Hmmm….looks appetising. 



This is the kitchen area.



Each of the knives must be placed back in their original location. The officers could easily spot a missing knife.




The prison’s closure on 21st March 1963.



Nice view, anyone interested to stay here?



Life of a correctional officer at Alcatraz was lonely. He had to be ever vigilant to enforce the rigid day-to-day routine of Alcatraz.



Ever vigilant.



During its 29 years of operation, three correctional officers lost their lives when inmates tried to escape. The most violent attempt was the so-called Battle of Alcatraz in 1946, in which three prisoners and two guards were killed.



Uniform of the officer.







Administration Building of the warden and his correctional officers.






Battle of Alcatraz. Bernie Coy’s plan was to slip through the bars of the gun gallery and overwhelm the guard, then use prison guns and keys to free five accomplices and race to shore. But the plan went wrong when the yard door would not open because the lock has jammed. The escape siren then blared.



Cretzer opened fire on the guards wounding five, three seriously including Bill Miller who later died of his wounds. The Marine shelled the prison and dropped grenades through the roof where they believed the convicts were in an attempt to force them into a utility corridor where they could be cornered. Three prisoners and two guards were killed and two prisoners were later executed at San Quentin for their participation in the battle.



The special programs of the night tour.


There were a total of 53 rules and regulations in Alcatraz prison. Regulation #30, the silent policy was what many inmates considered to be their most unbearable punishment. There were reports that several inmates were being driven insane by the severe rule of silence on Alcatraz.



The film posters of movies made about Alcatraz. The most famous movie is Eastwood’s “Escape from Alcatraz”.







The exterior of the main prison building.






So, how many prisoners died here? Eight inmates were murdered by other inmates, five committed suicide and fifteen died of natural causes.

















The Indian occupation of Alcatraz, 1969 – 1971. After the Alcatraz has been closed, the Indian tried to claim the island.



‘This is the beginning of our fight for justice and self-determination’. The occupation lasted just over a year and a half. The collapsed of the occupation begun when Richard Oakes (the activist leader) from the Mohawk clan’s, 13 year old daughter fell to her death here in Alcatraz.





One thing good about this night tour, is you get to see the night view San Francisco city.





Ain't it beutiful?









Well, now is 8.10pm. Time to leave the rock.



The night tour of Alcatraz gave me the opportunity to see the day and night view of San Francisco City skyline.



It is freaking cold at night.




You can view the model of Alcatraz Island at the Alcatraz landing.



From Montgomery station, I took the subway to Fremont station.



By the time I reached the Fremont station, it was already midnight. Took the last bus out of the station to the hotel and there was only 3 person on the bus.



Finally, I reached the Hotel. Hilton Newark – Freemont Hotel, located at the southern end of San Francisco.



Cold and exhausted, I took a hot shower and went to bed.



The ‘Rock’ is truly a mysterious island filled with history. Although officials believe no inmate ever successfully escaped Alcatraz, the stories of escape attempts intrigue me.


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