Researchers from the Netherlands are saying there’s a small chance that the 3 men who broke out of Alcatraz in 1962 lived to tell about it.

In 1962 3 men may have done what was said to be the impossible – escape from Alcatraz.

Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin were able to get beyond the maximum security prison’s walls through a tunnel they’d dug with sharpened spoons.

Whether or not they survived the break has remained a mystery, but it’s presumed that they drowned after fleeing on a raft made from raincoats.

Researchers from the Netherlands are now saying there’s a small chance that the men lived to tell of their feat.

Computer simulations show that if they departed from the prison island between 11 pm and midnight, they may have made it to shore.

Any time before or after would have certainly resulted in either their demise or capture.

What makes the small window ideal is the direction of the currents at that time.

If they’d paddled northwards upon departure and hit the tides near the Golden Gate Bridge close to midnight, they would have benefitted from a change in flow.

The natural direction of the water may well have pushed them to Horseshoe Bay, and, ultimately, freedom.

That scenario also indicates that debris resulting from their journey would have ended up on Angel Island, which it actually did. Shortly after the attempt, a paddle and some of the prisoners’ personal effects were found there.