Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary or United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island (often just referred to as Alcatraz or The Rock) was a maximum high-security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San Francisco, California, which operated from August 11, 1934, until March 21, 1963. The main prison building was built in 1910–1912 during its time as a United States Army military prison; Alcatraz had been the site of a citadel since the 1860s. The United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch on Alcatraz had been acquired by the United States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933,
Alcatraz Wharf and sank in deep water off the wharf in the early 1910s. Her crew of forty-two men escaped by jumping into the bay and swimming ashore. Seismic rehabilitation of the wharf occurred in the early 2000s. The retrofit to the existing wharf and its facilities consisted of concrete demolition, excavation, and installation of tiebacks. Reinforced steel and concrete were added to a new deck. Work was also done on the deteriorated piles under the wharf deck.David Finney is the youngest person to swim the South End Rowing Club Alcatraz Swim when he swam it in 2015 at ten years old.