Commissioning
The USS Bronstein was the lead ship and one of only two members of the Bronstein-class of destroyer escorts (re-designated frigates on June 30, 1975). It was the second ship in U.S. Navy history named in honor of Assistant Surgeon Ben Richard Bronstein, who was killed in action on Feb. 28, 1942 when the USS Jacob Jones was sunk by a German U-Boat off Cape May, New Jersey.
The keel of the Bronstein was laid down on May 16, 1961, at the Avondale Shipyard in Westwego, La. She was launched on March 31, 1962; she was commissioned on June 16, 1963. The Bronstein was one of only two ships in the Navy inventory whose commanding officer held the rank of Lt. Commander.
Underway
The Bronstein was the first destroyer escort to implement several major design changes. She was the first ship designed with a flight deck for a drone submarine helicopter and the first equipped with the new SQS-26 sonar. She also was one of the first ships to carry the anti-submarine rocket (ASROC) system.
As a member of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, the Bronstein made multiple deployments to the Western Pacific during the Vietnam War. In 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1971-73, she spent time in the Gulf of Tonkin supporting U.S. operations in the region. She received the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon for her service during that period. After the conclusion of the Vietnam conflict, the Bronstein concentrated on what she was designed to do: track Soviet submarines. With its strong SQS-26 sonar and, later, a towed array sonar system, the Bronstein had the most advanced anti-submarine warfare suite of any ship in the Pacific Fleet.
During her career, the Bronstein would win two Battle “E” awards for outstanding combat preparedness, in 1976 and 1979. She would also win the Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Late in her career, the Bronstein was to become one of the first Navy vessels to conduct anti-drug missions off the coast of Central America. In the fall of 1987, she served as the flagship during the first major Navy/Coast Guard Exercise, Blue Pennant Six. In 1989, she was selected to serve as the test and evaluation platform for the new Extremely High Frequency Satellite Communication System (EHF SATCOM). At that time, she had the unique distinction of being not only the oldest fast frigate in the Navy inventory, but the only one equipped with the EHF SATCOM.
In 1990, shortly before her decommissioning, the Bronstein received a letter of commendation from then- Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney.
Decommissioning
The Bronstein was decommissioned on Dec. 13, 1990 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Oct. 4, 1991. On Nov. 12, 1993, she was sold to Mexico, where she served as the Hermenegildo Galeana.
Characteristics of the USS Bronstein
Class and type: Bronstein class frigate
Displacement: approx. 2,650 tons full load
Length: 371.4 ft (113.2 m)
Beam: 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
Draft: 23 ft (7.0 m)
Propulsion: 2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine; 35,000shp; 1 shaft Speed: 26 knots
Complement: 16 officers, 183 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems: AN/SPS-10 surface search radar
AN/SPS-40 air search radar
AN/SPG-35 Gun fire control radar
AN/SQS-26 bow-mounted sonar
AN/SQR-15 towed sonar array Armament: one Mk-16 missile launcher for ASROC missiles
two Mk-33 3-inch/50 caliber guns (one mount)
Mk-46 torpedoes from two Mk-32 triple tube mounts
Aircraft carried: None / QH-50 DASH
Career:
Name: Bronstein
Namesake: Ben Richard Bronstein
Builder: Avondale Shipyard, Inc., Westwego, Louisiana
Laid down: 16 May 1961
Launched: 31 March 1962
Acquired: 8 June 1963
Commissioned: 16 June 1963
Decommissioned: 13 December 1990
Struck: 4 October 1991
Fate: sold to Mexico, 12 November 1993 as Hermenegildo Galeana (E-42)
Timeline:
May 1961: Keel of USS Bronstein laid down
March 1962: USS Bronstein launched
June 1963: USS Bronstein commissioned
1966—73: USS Bronstein serves multiple tours of duty in the Gulf of Tonkin
1990: USS Bronstein receives letter of commendation from Secretary of Defense Cheney
December 1990: USS Bronstein decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Bronstein:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Bronstein can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=923
Paul Stewart (served January 1966—May 1967): “I reported just in time to depart for wespac 66 my brother was also on the stein.”
Patrick Stevenson (served October 1966—July 1969): “This was my first duty station. I enjoyed most of the time onboard.”
James Schultz (served October 1966—July 1967): “Working in “the hole” took a lot of the fun out of shipboard life, but liberty and the other guys were great.”
Links:
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=923
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bronstein_(FF-1037)
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200805/ai_n25418722/?tag=content;col1
