Bloch Center (including the Arena) opened at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard
in Hawaii in August
of 1941. It was built for the recreation of the servicemen of the United States Fleet
stationed at Pearl
Harbor. There they could drink beer, play billiards or pool, and meet
friends who were stationed on other ships. It was named for Admiral Claude Charles Bloch. Admiral Bloch,
a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in 1899, had served as the Commander-in-Chief
of the United States Fleet from 1938 to January
6, 1940. He was in command of the local Naval District at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack.1
The Arena is an
elongated octagonal structure with a hardwood flooring surrounded by
bleacher style seating, much like a large gymnasium. The entire
structure has open windows at the top and vented walls just below, with
the actual floor beneath ground level. The serviceman
also attended boxing matches, movies and other competitive events held
there. One such event was the "Battle of Music 1941".
The Battle of Music 1941 began on September 13, 1941. It was held at Bloch
Arena every two weeks and featured four Navy bands
from "capitol ships" home ported in Pearl Harbor
and those attached to shore installations in Hawaii in each round of the
tournament with one winner per round selected to perform in the final
competition. The first and second place winners were to compete in the
semi-finals, with the first and second place winners of those
contests to compete in the final contest to be held on December 20th.
Each band performed a swing number, a ballad and one specialty tune and then
played for the jitterbug contest.
USS Arizona’s
Last Band - USN Band #22 at Bloch Arena - Nov. 22, 1941
Photo USS Arizona Memorial Archives courtesy
Molly Kent
The most recognized and highly decorated
Navy Band associated with Hawaii was Unit Band 22, formed in
January of 1941 and assigned to the Pennsylvania-class battleship, USS Arizona in May.
Arizona's band competed in the
first contest on September 13th. The winners of that contest were the
bands from the USS Arizona and USS California. The Arizona band then
competed in the first semi-final contest held on November 22nd. Winners
of that contest were the bands from the Marine Barracks and the Arizona.
The second semi-final contest was held on December 6th. Winners of that
contest were the bands from the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Tennessee.
The final contest scheduled for December 20th would have featured the
bands from the Marine Barracks and Arizona, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The contest was, of
course, never finished.1
Pearl Harbor - Oct. 30, 1941
Photo courtesy National Archives (NARA)
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, shortly before 8 A.M., the base at Pearl Harbor
was attacked by a carrier task force with a greater aerial striking power
than had ever been seen on the World's oceans. The attack came in
two waves and lasted for over two hours.
The
USS Arizona was moored when she was attacked by horizontal bombers which struck her with several bombs. Some of these caused damage to her after and midships
areas, but their effects were minor compared with what resulted from one
that penetrated beside her forward turrets. The resultant massive
explosion of her magazines utterly devastated the battleship from in
front of her first turret back into her machinery spaces. Her sides were
blown out and the turrets, conning tower, and much of the superstructure
dropped several feet into her wrecked hull. This tipped her foremast
forward, giving the wreck its distinctive appearance.
USS Arizona burning as seen from the USS Solace - Dec.
7, 1941
Photo courtesy USS Arizona Memorial Archives
Blazing furiously, Arizona quickly settled to the bottom of Pearl Harbor, a total loss.
A total 1177 of her crew (sailors and marines) were killed, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd,
Commander Battleship Division One, the ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh
and the entire USS Arizona Band, while at battle stations passing
ammunition under gun turret number one. This represented the
greatest loss of life in U.S. Naval history and accounted for more than
half of the servicemen killed there that day. The Arizona burned
for more than two days.2
The
attack severely damaged or destroyed 12 American warships (five of the
eight battleships at Pearl Harbor were sunk or sinking, with the rest
damaged), destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,335 American servicemen
and 68 civilians. However, the Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers
were not in port and so were undamaged, as were the base's vital oil
tank farms, submarine pens, and machine shops. Using these resources,
the United States was able to rebound within a year.3
There was never much expectation that the shattered wreck of the Arizona
could be raised and returned to service. Though consideration was given
to cutting loose the ship's relatively intact after portion and
refloating it, divers' examinations of the wreck indicated that the work
involved would not be worthwhile. Initially, about 105 bodies were
removed, but because the ship was never raised, the remainder could not
be. The ship's hull was left where it sank, a tomb for many of the
men who lost their lives with her, considered by the Navy as burial at
sea.2
The sunken USS Arizona lacked a fitting tribute to its
significance
Photo courtesy USS Arizona Memorial Archives
After the end of World War II, many individuals recognized the need for
a memorial to the dead of December 7, 1941. In 1946, Mr. Tucker Gratz, a
prominent Oahu businessman, spearheaded civilian efforts toward the
creation of a shrine to the sunken battleship USS Arizona, which led to the creation of the Pacific War Memorial
Commission (PWMC) in 1949. The PWMC was tasked with the creation of
permanent World War II tributes in Hawaii, including a monument to those
killed in the December 7th attack. Navy leaders also sought a memorial
to the sailors who died on the USS Arizona.4
Admiral Arthur Radfordattends December 7 ceremonies, 1950
Official U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy
National Archives (NARA)
On March 7, 1950, Admiral Arthur Radford, the Commander in Chief of the Pacific
Fleet, ordered the construction of a wooden platform and flag mast on
the boat deck of the ravaged USS Arizona and that an American flag be
raised and lowered daily over her. He also requested funding for the
creation of a shrine over the USS Arizona both in 1950 and 1951, but the
funding was not available due to Korean War commitments. The combined
remembrance efforts of the civilian and military were finally realized
when President Eisenhower signed Public Law 85-344, authorizing the
creation of the USS Arizona Memorial on March 15, 1958.4
USS Bennington passes the wreck of USS Arizona on
Memorial Day, 31 May 1958
Official U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy
National Archives (NARA)
The public law stipulated that the monument had to be built without
federal funding. The Pacific War Memorial Commission was tasked with
raising the $500,000 required to build the structure. Several
organizations and individuals helped in the effort to raise the required
amount. In 1958, the Territory of Hawaii contributed the initial
$50,000.4
On December 3rd, 1958 the popular television series, “This is
Your Life” hosted by Ralph Edwards featured Samuel Fuqua, Medal of Honor
recipient and the senior surviving officer from the USS Arizona. This
broadcast kicked off the public fundraising campaign. Over $95,000 was
raised for the new permanent structure.4
Alfred Preis, of the architectural firm Johnson, Perkins and Preis
Associates of Honolulu was awarded the commission to design the Memorial in
August, 1959.
The Navy began site preparation in early 1960 after the PWMC released
$250,000 for the project. In October the Walker-Moody Construction
company won the contract to build the Memorial. As construction progressed, some of the
wreckage of the ship was removed to make way for the new memorial. This
material is still stored at a Navy facility on Waipio Peninsula.4
Thurston Twigg-Smith and
George Chaplin
Photo courtesy
Honolulu Advertiser library
In late 1960 the memorial fund was still well short of its $500,000
goal. The editor of the
Honolulu Advertiser,
George Chaplin, volunteered
to help by writing about 1,500 letters to the editors of daily papers
across the nation. He asked them to help the fund drive by publishing
stories about the Arizona Memorial project and ask their readers to send
contributions to the fund. Among those papers that responded was the Los
Angeles Examiner.5
Colonel Tom Parker, read the Examiner editorial and immediately telephoned
Chaplin and said: "I know a young man whose services can be a big help."
He offered an Elvis benefit performance in Hawaii for the
Arizona Memorial to coincide with Elvis' scheduled movie location work there for
"Blue Hawaii".
His single condition, and in this he was
inflexible, was that all ticket proceeds must go directly to the memorial fund.
He insisted that any overhead be covered from other sources. The Honolulu
Advertiser reported that Tucker Gratz said the Colonel came to Hawaii and set
up the show. "We were $10,000 short," said Gratz. "We made an
agreement with Parker that he and Elvis would raise $5,000 if the War
Memorial Commission would raise the other $5,000..."
The show was scheduled for Sunday, March 25, 1961 at 8.30
P.M. at Bloch Arena. There were 4000 tickets sold in the price range
from $3.00 to $10.00. 100 of the 300 $100 tickets were reserved
for a special ringside section in the arena, 30 of these tickets were
bought by Elvis and the Colonel for patients and corpsmen
from Tripler Army
Hospital. Scotty remembers that even he and DJ
bought their own tickets to attend. The Colonel saw to it that no
one got in without a ticket.
Elvis and fans at LA airport prior to departing for
Honolulu
Photo courtesy
Elvis Presley Unseen Archives
The Colonel had also asked Minnie Pearl,
the "undisputed queen of country comedy and Grand Ole Opry
star", to
be on the show. Besides Scotty, DJ and the Jordanaires, the band
was supplemented with their current Nashville A Team recording line up: Bob Moore
on bass, Boots Randolph on sax, Floyd Cramer on piano and Hank Garland
on guitar. Bob remembers that they had a party at Elvis' house in
Los Angeles the night before they left for Hawaii.
On March 25, the
day of the show, they flew from Los Angeles to Honolulu
on Pan American Airlines. Minnie Pearl
recalled that (General)
Jimmy Stewart, the famous actor, was also on
that flight and that Elvis, a longtime fan of his, asked her if she
thought it would be out of order if he went over and talked to him.
She told him she thought he'd enjoy it so Elvis walked over to his seat,
introduced himself and they conversed for a time. They arrived at
Honolulu International Airport at 12:15 P.M.
Elvis (lower left) at Honolulu International Airport
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Elvis is greeted by the fans and presented Leis
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Scotty had made several stops in Pearl Harbor while
serving in the Navy, so the trip had a
homecoming feel to it for him. "You feel this air of tranquility
there," he said. "It's restful. It's in the air."
When they arrived at the airport there were over 3000 not so restful
fans waiting to greet and see Elvis and the air was anything but
tranquil.
Elvis arrives at the press
conference
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Elvis at the press
conference in the Carousel Room
Photo courtesy
FECC
Elvis and the colonel at the press
conference
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Al Dvorin, the Colonel and Elvis at the press conference
Photo ?, added Aug. 10, 2012
That afternoon there was a press
conference in the Carousel Room at the Hawaiian Village Hotel that
included newsmen, photographers and a hand-picked group of 27
high school and middle school reporters. The Sunday Adviser
reported, "Elvis answered questions with a matter-of-fact mumble"
and "The Colonel, Tom Parker, supplied the punch lines that brought
laughter and applause from the student reporters." At the
conference Elvis was also presented a few awards for his benefit
performance that would take place that evening.
It was the first and only time that Bob Moore had actually performed with
Elvis onstage though he seems to recall attending the performance in
Tupelo in 1957 when Hank Garland performed. He was horrified at
the concert and had never seen anything like it with all the girls
screaming and the fans grabbing at them as if they were trying to get a
piece of them.
Union contract for Sterling
Mossman/band from the files of Al Dvorin - Mar. 23, 1961
According to Dvorin's accounting, Mossman and
his band were paid $350 for the gig, the Phil Ingalls
Orchestra $330, Scotty, DJ, the Jordanaires and each member of the band from Nashville
were paid
$100 and Minnie Pearl $1000.
Minnie Pearl performs on stage at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy Robert Gordon's "The King on The Road"
According to the Advertiser, the show was opened by the Phil Ingall Orchestra, a brassy combo that the audience lapped up. Soon the
audience clapped along in time to the music. Then Sterling Mossman and his
group performed Polynesian songs and launched a comedy routine that
brought titters and giggles from the $100 seats. Floyd Cramer then
performed a piano solo followed by the Jordanaires and then Boots who
performed his staple "Yackety Sax". Minnie
Pearl closed out the first half.
Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo replaced with personal collection Aug. 10,
2012
Bob Moore, the Jordanaires and Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
After the break, Rear Admiral Robert L. Campbell, Commandant of 14th Naval District, read a telegram from the
Secretary of the Navy which said of Elvis: "The generosity and public spirited zeal with which you
donate your services to the Arizona Memorial Fund tonight are deeply
appreciated by all of us in the Navy." Introducing him
Admiral Campbell said, "Our Honored guest tonight is a fine American. He has had many starring
roles. In one of these roles, his role as a soldier in the U.S. Army, his
performance was outstanding, and it's a great pleasure, to welcome him
here, and to present to you... Elvis Presley."
Boots Randolph and Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Scotty,
Boots Randolph and Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy Joe Tunzi's Elvis in Gold, added Aug. 9, 2012
When Elvis took the stage, wearing his Gold Lame
jacket (for the last time) with dark blue trousers and a white
shirt and a blue string tie the teenagers screamed for almost a minute
and a half without let-up. Elvis then in imitation and fun,
screamed back.
The concert was one of the longest sets Elvis had played in awhile, forty five
minutes. They performed 15 songs, opening with Heartbreak Hotel and
closing with Hound Dog.
According to the Advertiser, Gratz, of the PWMC, said, "This occasion is a
dream come true after 16 years. Tonight is the most important event in
this effort..." When the proceeds were finally tallied, the
memorial fund was $64,696.73 richer and the Memorial was lodged more
permanently in the public consciousness.5
Scotty and Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
Scotty and Elvis at Bloch Arena
Photo courtesy
Elvis in Hawaii site
It had been seven years since Elvis, Scotty and Bill, had
made their debut performance. Bill Black last performed
live with the band at
their last performance of the 1950s on November 11, 1957 at the Conroy
Bowl at Schofield Barracks
in Hawaii (after which he appeared and recorded with them in the movie King
Creole). Though Scotty would record with Elvis through most
of the sixties it would be seven more years before Scotty and Elvis
would perform on a stage together again. They, along with DJ, would perform to a
smaller studio audience during the filming of the 1968 NBC Special. It would then be the
last time they performed together and the last time that Scotty would
see Elvis.
The Arizona benefit was also the last time
Scotty has seen Hawaii.
Floyd, Bob and Hank at the Punchbowl (The National
Memorial Cemetery in Oahu)
Photo by Walter Omori courtesy Bob Moore
DJ, Boots and Scotty flew back the day
after the show but Bob, Floyd, Hank and Minnie stayed on for several
days. Filming for Blue Hawaii began the next day and Bob recalls
being at a section of the beach roped off for shooting and beginning a
lifelong friendship with a young local man,
Walter Omori, when he intervened with a policeman that was forcefully
trying to eject him. Just a fan trying to watch, Bob thought
the policeman was being too rough and informed him that Walter was
with them and had the right to be there. Walter, in
appreciation, left them wanting for nothing during the rest of their
stay even
providing them transportation to sites of the Island that
they normally would not see, including
the Punch Bowl.
Revell scale model of the USS Arizona
The Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) had also partnered with the Revell Model
Company to sell plastic models of the battleship USS Arizona. Enclosed
inside the kit was donation information on the instruction sheet. This
led to a contribution of over $40,000. Finally, on September 6th, 1961,
freshman Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye secured federal funding, which
contributed the final $150,000 to complete the construction. In
the end, public money was required to meet the goal of the PWMC.
The legislation stated that the Memorial was “to be maintained in honor
and commemoration of the members of the Armed Forces of the United
States who gave their lives to their country during the attack on Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.”4
USS Arizona Memorial with Ford Island in the background - May 29, 1962
Official U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy
National Archives (NARA)
The marble northwestern interior wall of the memorial -
Jan. 24, 1963
Official U.S. Navy Photograph by PH2 Thomas courtesy
National Archives (NARA)
Construction of the USS Arizona Memorial was completed
in 1961 for a total cost of $532,000.00 and was officially dedicated on
Memorial Day, May 30, 1962. The structure is 184 feet long, 36
feet wide and 21 feet high at the ends, tapering to 27 feet wide and 14
feet high at the center. A visitor center was opened on the shore
in 1980, at which time the Navy turned the operation of the Memorial
over to the National
Park Service. Tours to the sunken remains of the battleship Arizona
are accessible only from the visitor center. Today, it is one of the
most recognized and most visited memorials in America. Since its
dedication in 1962, approximately 40 million visitors from all nations
have gone to the Memorial in a spirit of
remembrance, reflection and
reconciliation.
Bldg. 161, Fitness Center at Bloch Arena - Dec. 2007
Photo courtesy Jillian Rickard
Bloch Arena is still an active facility of the Navy at Pearl Harbor
and is part of its "Morale, Welfare and Relaxation" (MWR) program. The
Fitness Center at Bloch Arena is located at Building 161. Free weights, resistance
machines, cardio equipment, shower & locker rooms, saunas, basketball,
racquetball and volleyball courts, personal training, group exercise
classes, massage therapy, child care and numerous fitness
clinics/workshops can be found there in the Bloch Complex.
Bldg. 161, Fitness Center Lobby at Bloch Arena - Dec.
2007
Photo courtesy Jillian Rickard
Remembering Elvis at Bloch Arena - Dec. 2007
Photo courtesy Jillian Rickard
In the lobby entrance to the Fitness Center you will see a small showcase
set inside the wall acknowledging the benefit performance by Elvis and
the band in 1961. The arena itself is still used as it always has
been, for the recreation and entertainment of service personnel and competitive events like boxing and basketball.
It appears
very much as it did during the "Battle of Music" in 1941.
Surface Navy Association basketball tournament at Bloch
Arena - Jan. 2007 USN
photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl
Surface Navy Association boxing match at Bloch Arena -
Jan. 2007
USN
photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl
In the weeks following the infamous attack, all the bands that had
participated in the "Battle of Music" voted to posthumously award the
tournament trophy to Unit Band 22, renaming it the "Arizona Trophy." This was a fitting tribute to the heroic members of the band who died
that infamous morning. Unit Band 22 now stands the eternal watch onboard
the USS Arizona for all sea service bands.6
The Arizona Trophy is on display at the Memorial's Visitor Center.
The USS Arizona Memorial
is a permanent shrine to those Americans who lost their lives in the
attack on Pearl Harbor and in the great Pacific War that began there.
“Upon this sacred spot, we honor the specific heroes
who surrendered their lives. . . .while they were in full bloom, so that
we could have our full share of tomorrows.”7
Special thanks to the
Elvis in Hawaii website for the use of some of their
resources pertaining to "Elvis in Hawaii" for this concert.
We are very sorry to hear of the passing of our friend
Molly Kent on July 26, 2020. She was a great lady and we are in debt to her for her patronage, assistance and contributions to this page and to her and her family's service and sacrifice for our Country. May she rest in peace.
The
USS Arizona Memorial's museum is the
world's leading repository of the history, artifacts, documents and
research related to the attack on Pearl Harbor and early WWII in the
Pacific. The facility built in 1980 is experiencing severe
structural damage and though it was designed to settle overtime into its
landfill, the facility has sunk over 30 inches into Pearl Harbor, far
exceeding expectations.
While the project to build the new Pearl
Harbor Memorial Museum & Visitor Center is progressing, additional
funding is desperately needed. And while the Department of Interior and
many large corporations have committed to this cause, it is obvious that
they need the help of every American. Your gift, no matter the size,
will be greatly appreciated and recognized. Consider joining this
campaign and making a gift to the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund. Please
Donate Today!
USS
Arizona’s Last Band: The History of US Navy Band Number 22 by
Molly Kent details the life and death of the members of the last US Navy
band ever to serve aboard the USS Arizona. As the sister of Mus
2/c C. R. Williams, a member of USS Arizona's Last Band, Molly
Kent is well qualified to write the history of this ill-fated US Navy
Band.
This book can be
purchased
directly
from
Silent Song Publishing
(913) 287-5797
H. Tucker Grantz, Rear Adm. Henry S. Persons and Elvis at
the memorial - 1965 Photo courtesy Jerry Hopkins' Elvis
in Hawaii
In 1965, three years after the dedication, Elvis for the first time saw
the monument he helped get off the ground and into the water. He
and Parker stepped onto the shrine and honored the Arizona dead with two
5-foot high red and white carnation wreaths. One, bearing a gold-ribbon
inscription, "Gone but not forgotten," was made with exactly 1,177
carnations, one in honor of each of the lost officers
and men. Prior to filming the NBC-TV Special in June of
1968, Elvis vacationed in Hawaii again and again visited the Memorial.
Molly Kent, the author of "USS Arizona's Last Band" when
initially consulted for this page asked me to thank Scotty and the
others "for their participation in the Elvis Presley concert in
Hawaii. That concert made it possible for the Memorial to be built.
After Elvis gave his concert to help the Arizona Memorial, my father
absolutely worshipped Elvis. He would sit for hours listening to his
Elvis records, many times with tears on his cheeks. Those of us who
have loved ones still serving aboard the USS Arizona thank them very
much."
December 9, 2007
All photos on this site (that we
didn't borrow) unless
otherwise indicated are the property of either Scotty Moore or James V.
Roy and unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.