USS Bronstein (DE-1037)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]DANFS, Bronstein II (FF-1037), by Mark L. Evans, 1 November 2016 (live NHHC page returns 404; Wayback capture 2021-08-13 verified) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry 'Bronstein II (FF-1037)', specification block + service narrative + CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 16 May 1961 at Westwego, La., by Avondale Shipyards, Inc.; launched 31 March 1962, sponsored by Mrs. Gertrude M. Pirie; commissioned 16 June 1963 at Charleston Naval Shipyard, Lt. Cmdr. Stanley T. Counts in command. Lead ship of a two-ship class (with McCloy, DE-1038) built as prototypes of a new ASW ocean-escort generation with bow-mounted AN/SQS-26 sonar and 8-cell ASROC launcher. Pacific Fleet career: WestPac deployments 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971-73 (Yankee Station line periods; naval gunfire support Dec 1972 - expended all 3-inch ammunition 7-8 Dec, took six counterbattery rounds that missed 17 Dec; 1A boiler casualty repaired at Kaohsiung), 1973-74 Indian Ocean, 1975 (reclassified FF-1037 on 30 June 1975 at Subic Bay), 1978, 1979-80, 1982, 1983-84; overhauls incl. Long Beach NSY (Oct 1971-17 May 1972: propulsion converted to Navy Distillate Fuel; Sep 1980-Oct 1981), Bethlehem Steel San Pedro ($5M overhaul 1976-77), Southwest Marine San Diego (1986 SRA; 1988 $1.5M availability); Hunters Point sonar repairs Mar 1965; CNO Project 784 AN/USC-38(V) EHF test ship from Nov 1988; final Caribbean counter-narcotics deployment Jun-Sep 1990. Decommissioned 13 December 1990 at Pier 13, NS San Diego; stricken 4 October 1991; disposed 12 November 1993 through the Security Assistance Program as a foreign military sale to Mexico, renamed Hermenegildo Galeana (F.202).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1961-1993

   Population

   Avondale construction trades 1961-63; commissioning/fitout workforce Charleston NSY 1963; ship's company through 27.5 years of commissioned service; yard workers at Long Beach NSY, Bethlehem San Pedro, Southwest Marine

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and milestones, not materials or asbestos content. The entry's own specification block (displacement 4,180; length 438'; beam 47'; complement 298) is inconsistent with NVR/class-standard figures for this hull (~2,650 t full, ~371.5 ft, ~40.5 ft) - the block's numbers are carried only as a documented conflict in gaps, not as fact. Live NHHC URL 404s; verbatim text from Wayback capture 2021-08-13.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-01

2. [2]Naval Vessel Register ship detail, BRONSTEIN (FF 1037) ex-DE 1037, UIC 54035 (disposed-hull page no longer served on live nvr.navy.mil; Wayback capture 2020-11-01) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR FF 1037 vessel status / milestone dates / program characteristics tables

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR milestone record for this hull: builder 'Avondale Marine Ways Inc., Westwego, LA'; award 06/13/1960; keel 05/16/1961; launch 03/31/1962; delivery 06/08/1963; commission 06/16/1963; decommission 12/13/1990; stricken 10/04/1991; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned' effective 11/12/1993; custodian MEXICO; propulsion type 'Steam Turbines'; record last updated 07/05/2000.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1960-2000 (record currency)

   Limitations

   Official registry data confirming milestones and disposal mechanism; contains no materials or asbestos information. NVR physical-characteristics and accommodations fields on this disposed-hull record are blank - dimensions, displacement, and complement are NOT sourced from NVR.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-02

3. [3]Department of the Navy letter to Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs (2010) - NHHC-compiled list of 713 ships that earned the Vietnam Service Medal or Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Vietnam service, 1962-1975 (mirror of the official letter; entry 'BRONSTEIN DE-1037') [other_primary]

   Locator

   Enclosed 713-ship list, 'BRONSTEIN DE-1037' entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Navy's NHHC-compiled list expressly includes 'BRONSTEIN DE-1037' among the 713 ships that earned the Vietnam Service Medal or Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for Vietnam service - official confirmation of this hull's in-country/blue-water Vietnam War service consistent with the DANFS narrative (Yankee Station line periods 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971-73; Gulf of Tonkin gunline December 1972).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1966-1975

   Population

   Ship's company on Vietnam deployments 1966-1973

   Limitations

   Service/award confirmation only - says nothing about materials or asbestos aboard. The PDF is hosted on a third-party veterans' site; the underlying document is an official Navy letter (NHHC-compiled list). Vietnam service is independently established by the DANFS narrative (ev-01).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-03

4. [4]US Navy fact file for FF 1037 Bronstein class (verbatim mirror at GlobalSecurity.org; identical text at fas.org dod-101) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Avondale Shipyard record (tier 2) [other_primary]

   Locator

   FF 1037 Bronstein class fact-file page, specifications block; shipyards.json record 'avondale-shipyard'

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a Bronstein-class ocean escort built 1961-63 with a two-boiler (Foster-Wheeler 600-psi) single-shaft geared steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Avondale Shipyards is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2: Kaylo insulation, lagging cloth for steam pipes, gaskets, floor tiles, adhesives, fire-resistant blankets). The Navy fact file gives the class plant as 2 x 600-psi boilers, 1 geared turbine, 1 shaft, 20,000 shp.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1961-1990

   Population

   Avondale construction trades 1961-63; engineering crew 1963-1990; shipyard workers at repeated availabilities

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no source examined names asbestos aboard this specific hull; the yard record documents Avondale's asbestos era generally, not this vessel. NavSource reads 35,000 shp/24 kt for the same plant - conflict carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-04

5. [5]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 product page, report summary passages

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO documents the Navy's shipboard asbestos posture during this hull's in-service era: per the Navy, ships contained asbestos chiefly as thermal insulation; the Navy's October 1975 policy was to remove and replace asbestos insulation only when damaged or when removal was required for repairs, modified in January 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; the Navy declined a one-time removal program (estimated $2 billion). 'Other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos. ... shipyard employees will continue to work with or near asbestos for many years as ships are repaired and overhauled.' Frames the regulatory environment in which this hull's repeated overhauls (Long Beach NSY 1971-72 and 1980-81, Bethlehem San Pedro 1976-77, Southwest Marine 1986 and 1988) occurred.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1975-1979 (policy), applied 1963-1990

   Population

   Navy shipyard workforce generally, incl. yards that worked this hull

   Limitations

   Program-level finding: does not name this hull, does not survey it, and does not establish that any abatement was or was not performed aboard. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch (2026-09-28) - quoted passages verified via GAO product-page description and indexed snippets; full-text pull remains an open lead (same limitation as BATCH-01).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-05

6. [6]In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), J.P.M.L. MDL No. 875, ECF No. 7281-9 (filed 2011-05-27), 'Exhibit 3 - Volume 2': 'VESSELS CONSTRUCTED AT AVONDALE SINCE FOUNDING OF COMPANY 1938' (44 pp) [court_record]

   Locator

   MDL-875 docket 1245688, entry 7281 attachment 9 (Vedros motion to vacate CTO-400, appendix exhibit), roster entry for Avondale hull No. 985

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   One RECAP index hit for 'USS Bronstein' is a construction-history exhibit filed in the master asbestos MDL: Avondale's own tabulation 'VESSELS CONSTRUCTED AT AVONDALE SINCE FOUNDING OF COMPANY 1938'. Document-verified at text level (full PDF pulled 2026-09-28): the roster lists Avondale hull No. 985 as 'DE 1037 USS BRONSTEIN', a 'DE 1037 Class Escort Vessel', '20000 HP Stm. Turb.', Navy contract C-1224, with sister 'DE 1038 USS MCCLOY' at hull 984 - the ship surfaces in the asbestos docket because it was built at Avondale, not because the exhibit alleges exposure aboard it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2011 (filing)

   Limitations

   NON-QUALIFYING for exposure: a builder's construction roster, not an exposure allegation, complaint, or opinion naming the ship as an exposure site. OCR of the scanned typed roster is imperfect ('MCCLOY' reads 'MCCOY'); hull number, ship name, and contract are legible. Same exhibit document-verified in batch-3920 for sister-yard hull USS Semmes (DDG-18, hull No. 958).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-06

7. [7]Bernert Towboat Co. v. USS Chandler (DDG-996), 666 F. Supp. 1454 (D. Or. 1987) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion 666 F. Supp. 1454, findings of fact (Columbia River transit, 6 June 1985)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   The sole opinion-text hit for 'USS Bronstein' is an admiralty case that mentions this hull incidentally, not an asbestos matter: plaintiff Bernert Towboat sued over barge damage allegedly caused by the swell of USS Chandler (DDG-996) steaming up the Columbia River to the 6 June 1985 Portland Rose Festival; the tug's pilot testified he 'passed four navy ships that day with no problems' before meeting Chandler. Bronstein - which DANFS confirms attended the Portland Rose Festival 7-10 June 1985 - is one of the context vessels in the factual narrative, a name mention only with no asbestos allegation, no exposure claim, and no product identification.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1985-1987

   Limitations

   NON-QUALIFYING for asbestos litigation: a published admiralty opinion, not an asbestos case. The hull appears only as incidental fleet context (one of four Navy ships passed without incident); nothing in the opinion addresses materials aboard. Opinion text reviewed via case transcription (syfert.com mirror); CourtListener record verified by search index.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-07

8. [8]ContextoSMichoacan (24 Sep 2024), 'Proximamente hundira Semar 2 buques frente a Playa Azul en L. Cardenas'; Ultranoticias/Secma statements; El Sol de Morelia - SEMAR reef-sinking program for ex-fragatas Bravo (F-201) and Galeana (F-202) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   ContextoSMichoacan article (Sept 24, 2024); corroborating Ultranoticias Secma statement and El Sol de Morelia (OEM)

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Mexican state and naval authorities announced (Sept 2024) that the ex-Bronstein (ARM Hermenegildo Galeana, F-202) and sister ex-McCloy (ARM Nicolas Bravo, F-201) lay stripped at the XIV Naval Zone, Lazaro Cardenas, undergoing 'labores de limpieza' (cleaning/decontamination preparation) so the hulks can be sunk as artificial reefs off Playa Azul, Michoacan, 'sin generar algun tipo de contaminacion' (without generating contamination). Hulk cleaning prior to reef sinking is a documented end-of-life hazmat-remediation activity on this hull.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2023-2024 (reported)

   Population

   Mexican Navy/Semar decontamination and reef-prep crews (2023-2024+)

   Limitations

   Press-level reporting, not a hazmat manifest: asbestos is not named in the announcements, the specific scope of decontamination (asbestos, PCBs, fuels) is unstated, and completion of the sinking is unverified as of this writing. Establish only that end-of-life cleanup was underway/reported; nothing about crew-era exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-08

9. [9]U.S. Navy Photograph 120428-N-ZS026-615 (MC2 Trevor Welsh, Navy NewsStand), image title/caption: 'The Mexican Navy frigate ARM Hermenegildo Galeana (F 202) underway ... Galeana is former U.S. Navy frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037)' [museum_official]

   Locator

   Photo ID 120428-N-ZS026-615 caption block

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   An official U.S. Navy photo caption expressly identifies ARM Hermenegildo Galeana (F 202) - underway in a passing exercise with USS Independence (LCS-2) off Manzanillo, Mexico, 28 April 2012 - as 'former U.S. Navy frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037),' confirming the hull remained in active Mexican service nearly two decades after the 1993 SAP sale.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2012

   Limitations

   Confirms identity chain and active status as of April 2012 only; no materials or asbestos information. Mexican decommissioning (April 2017, secondary sources) is not documented by an official Mexican or U.S. source in this record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-09

10. [10]Batch-3968 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback), Naval Vessel Register (Wayback), NavSource DE/FF archive, CourtListener API v4 name + hull sweeps, GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Mexican press (SEMAR reef program), NARA deck-log/archival leads [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-bronstein-de1037-01 through -16

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos-material record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hull specification, museum hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated asbestos finding names this hull in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation record is thin: one pleading-stage exposure allegation (Duenas complaint, ev-11), a builder's construction-list exhibit (MDL-875, ev-06), and an incidental admiralty mention (ev-07); the FF-1037 opinion corpus is a clean zero; DE-1037 opinion and both-name docket queries returned only collisions. No adjudicated finding of exposure aboard this hull exists in the corpus.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1961-63 steam escort fits squarely in the documented era of shipboard asbestos insulation, the Duenas complaint is an unadjudicated allegation whose merits history was not traced, and the reported 2024 reef-sinking cleanup may yet produce public records. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-10

11. [11]Duenas v. General Electric Company et al., No. 3:12-cv-00714-SI (N.D. Cal., Illston, J.), filed 2012-02-14, MDL-875 tag-along; complaint exposure-work-history table as filed within CAND-ECF docket sheet, MDL-875 ECF No. 8437-2 (recap gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.8437.2.pdf fetched in full) [court_record]

    Locator

    MDL-875 docket 1245688, ECF 8437-2 p.18 of 18, complaint exposure table (Long Beach Naval Shipyard block, vessel rows 5-9)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    QUALIFYING ship-naming allegation in federal asbestos litigation: plaintiff Jessie Duenas's complaint (Brayton Purcell; defendants incl. General Electric, Foster Wheeler LLC, Bell Helicopter, Huntington Ingalls/Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, McDonnell Douglas, Todd Shipyards successor) lists 'BRONSTEIN (FF-1037)' in the exposure-work-history table - 'U.S. Department of Defense / Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, CA / Boilermaker / naval vessels including but not limited to: TICONDEROGA (DDG-47), TURNER JOY (DD-951), BELLEAU WOOD (LHA-3), BRONSTEIN (FF-1037), BRADLEY (FF-1041)' - exposure dates 2/1977-6/1984. The allegation places the plaintiff working on or around this hull during yard periods that include Bronstein's documented Long Beach Naval Shipyard overhaul of 30 September 1980 - 5 October 1981 (DANFS, ev-01). Hull attribution is explicit (FF-1037 named in the pleading table).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1977-1984 (alleged exposure window); 2012 (litigation)

    Population

    Jessie Duenas (U.S. Navy / DoD boilermaker, Long Beach Naval Shipyard 1977-1984 per complaint)

    Limitations

    PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION, unadjudicated - a complaint's exposure-site table names this hull among five listed vessels; it alleges but does not establish exposure aboard, causation, specific products, or duration aboard this hull versus sister vessels and other listed ships. Complaint filed Feb 2012 as MDL-875 tag-along; subsequent merits history (settlement, remand, adjudication) not traced in this session. Foster Wheeler LLC - builder of this hull's documented 600-psi boilers - is a named defendant, but no product linkage to the hull is pleaded in the table itself.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-11

12. [12]Kraus v. Alcatel-Lucent et al., No. 2:18-cv-02119-TJS (E.D. Pa.), ECF No. 637 (filed 2020-01-24), plaintiff's response to Lockheed Martin's motion for summary judgment (186 pp); RECAP index hit for the exact string 'FF-1037' [court_record]

    Locator

    E.D. Pa. docket 6814287, ECF 637; corroborating published opinion Kraus v. Alcatel-Lucent, 441 F. Supp. 3d 68 (E.D. Pa. 2020) and 2018 remand memorandum (USS Cambria exposure narrative)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    The second RECAP hit for 'FF-1037' sits inside an asbestos docket but is classified NON-QUALIFYING on the published-opinion record: plaintiff Robert J. Kraus's alleged Navy exposure occurred aboard USS Cambria (APA-36) 1964-1967 and later at General Electric, per Judge Savage's 25 July 2018 remand opinion in the same case - Bronstein is not his alleged exposure vessel. The 'FF-1037' token inside the 186-page MSJ-response filing is most plausibly an exhibit, Bates, or ship-list string in discovery material, not a plaintiff exposure allegation against this hull.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2018-2020 (litigation)

    Limitations

    Index-level classification, NOT document-verified: three paced storage fetches of the 186-page PDF failed on fleet pacing (120s, 600s, and 900s token waits). If the document is later pulled and shows a real FF-1037 exposure allegation, it would still classify at discovery stage - at most a second pleading/discovery-level row like ev-11, not a finding. Kraus merits record (the case settled/terminated Apr 2020 per docket) was not traced for this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bronstein-de1037-12