# An aerial view of Alcatraz Island, 8 May 1986 (National Archives)

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/items/nara-6410397-alcatraz-aerial-1986/

Military aerial photograph of Alcatraz Island dated 8 May 1986, taken more than twenty years after the penitentiary closed. It is filed as a view of the island, not of the prison years.

The catalog's scope note gives the base as San Francisco, the scene camera operator as PH2 Michael D.P. Flynn, and the release status as "Released to Public." The image file name is DN-ST-86-07327. The photograph shows the island from the air in color, with buildings on its summit, Angel Island and the Marin shoreline behind.

The penitentiary closed on 21 March 1963 according to the Bureau of Prisons ([BOP Alcatraz history](/items/bop-alcatraz-history/)). This photograph is used only for the island itself and says nothing about the prison years.

## Sources

- National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6410397