Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet im-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS Bronstein DE-189 → VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bronstein-de189-pkt-im-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Bronstein IV (DE-189)' - verbatim transcription, ibiblio/HyperWar (live NHHC DANFS page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS DE-189 entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Lt.(jg.) Ben Richard Bronstein, Assistant Surgeon USNR, killed in action 28 February 1942 when Jacob Jones (DD-130) was sunk by a submarine off Cape May, N.J. Specifications: dp. 1,240; 306 ft; 36'8" beam; 11'8" draft; 21 kt; cpl. 186; 3x3", 3x21" tt; cl. Cannon. Launched 14 November 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newark, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. Dina Bronstein Kurtz, mother of the namesake; commissioned 13 December 1943, Lt. S. H. Kinney in command. Assigned to TG 21.16 hunter-killer group (Block Island CVE-21); departed Norfolk 16 February 1944; attacks on a U-boat pack night of 29 February - 1 March (see ev-04 for the kill-credit correction); shared sinking of U-801 with Corry (DD-463) and Block Island aircraft, 16-17 March 1944, 39 prisoners including the commanding officer; carried 15 tons of gold from Dakar to New York 25 March - 3 April 1944; convoy escort NY-Bizerte with TF 60; joined Card as TG 21.10 from 10 June 1944; anti-submarine operations Caribbean and Casco Bay through May 1945; plane guard at Quonset Point from 9 May 1945; overhauled at Boston early October 1945; out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs 5 November 1945; transferred to Uruguay 3 May 1952 under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. Four battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1952
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, dates, and operations; it contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation statement and supports no asbestos claim. Known transcription errors in this entry: 'U-709' is printed for both 1 March engagements (the second was historically credited as U-603) and 'Card (CVE-111)' for CVE-11 - see ev-04 and gaps. Laid-down and striking dates are not given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton), 'Federal Shipbuilding - Kearny and Newark NJ' production table [other_primary]
- Locator
- Federal Shipbuilding table, hull no. 305 row; 'K or N' yard column reads N
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder's production record for this hull: Federal hull no. 305, yard column 'N' (the company's Port Newark yard - the K/N column distinguishes Kearny vs. Port Newark), government hull DE 189 'Bronstein,' delivered 12/13/43 (the commissioning date), disposition 'To Uruguay as Artigas (F 2) 1952, struck 1988.' The table documents that Federal's entire DE-162 through DE-197 block was built at the Port Newark yard (former Submarine Boat Company site), not the Kearny yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943; 1952; 1988
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding Port Newark yard workforce, 1943
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of yard/production records - establishes the construction site and delivery date but contains no materials or asbestos information. 'F 2' pennant is rendered 'DE-2' in other sources; 'struck 1988' is the foreign disposal year, consistent with the Armada chronology (ev-03).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-02
-
[4]Armada Nacional del Uruguay, 'Epoca Contemporanea' official institutional chronology [other_primary]
- Locator
- armada.mil.uy 'Epoca Contemporanea' chronology, 27 Sep 1988 and Dec 1988 entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Uruguayan Navy chronology entries for this hull's end of service: 27 September 1988 - 'Se declara al destructor Artigas como material en desuso, siendo sustituido por la fragata francesa que toma el nombre de General Artigas' (the destroyer Artigas declared surplus materiel, replaced by the French frigate taking the name General Artigas); December 1988 - 'Se determina el desguace del DE Artigas' (scrapping of the DE Artigas determined). Confirms the foreign-service terminal disposition of the ex-Bronstein hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1952-1988
- Population
- Uruguayan Navy crew and disposal workforce, 1988
- Limitations
- Official foreign-navy chronology documents disposition events only; it does not describe where or how scrapping was performed, any materials/abatement handling, or the ship's 1952-1988 refit history. Spanish-language entries quoted verbatim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-03
-
[5]uboat.net boat-fate records for U-603, U-709, and U-801 (fate revisions credited to Axel Niestle, January 2001): uboat.net/boats/u603.htm, /u709.htm, /u801.htm [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/boats/u709.htm, /u603.htm, /u801.htm - 'Fate' and 'Previously recorded fate' sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corrects the DANFS kill credit in ev-01. DANFS prints 'U-709' for both 1 March 1944 engagements (49.10N 26.00W assisted by Thomas and Bostwick; 48.55N 26.10W by Bronstein alone); the second was historically credited as U-603. Postwar assessment (Niestle, 2001) reclassifies BOTH attacks as directed against non-submarine targets: U-709 and U-603 each went missing in the North Atlantic on 19 February 1944, ten days before the engagements, with no explanation for their losses. The confirmed sinking involving Bronstein is U-801: sunk 17 March 1944 at 16.42N 30.28W by Fido homing torpedo from VC-6 Avenger/Wildcat aircraft of USS Block Island plus depth charges and gunfire from USS Corry and USS Bronstein; 10 dead, 47 survivors.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-03-01; 1944-03-17
- Population
- TG 21.16 crews; German submarine crews
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist reference compilation, not an official record, but Niestle is the accepted authority on U-boat fates and his revisions supersede wartime crediting. Survivor count differs from DANFS (47 vs. 39 prisoners) and sinking date is 17 March vs. the 16 March attack sequence in DANFS - carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-04
-
[6]USS Slater / Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, 'DE Classified - USS Bronstein' official museum companion page (podcast ep. 31, transcript, and photo captions) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ussslater.org DE Classified - USS Bronstein page text and photo captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Sister-hull museum record for this hull: confirms laid down 26 August 1943 at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Port Newark, N.J.; launched and christened 14 November 1943, sponsor Mrs. Dinah Bronstein-Kurz, mother of Dr. Bronstein; commissioned 13 December 1943, Lt. Sheldon Hoard Kinney (1918-2004) in command. Photo captions document the ex-Bronstein as ROU Artigas (DE-2) underway off Cape Henry in July 1952 and leaving the Canal Zone in May 1966 'after major overhaul' - evidence of a mid-life refit under Uruguayan custody not described elsewhere.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1988
- Population
- Museum audience; Uruguayan Navy crew 1952-1988
- Limitations
- Museum companion page for the USS Slater 'DE Classified' podcast - a legitimate institutional source for identity/dates/photo documentation but not an asbestos or condition record; the 'major overhaul' (pre-May 1966) scope is undescribed and any material changes under Uruguayan custody are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-05
-
[7]Cannon/DET class design data (Bureau of Ships Ships Data 1945, DE section, via shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' (1944 Owens-Illinois industrial health survey of Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Kearny NJ) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945 DE section; shipyards.json record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' evidence ev-federal-kearny-ihs-1944
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for this hull: the Cannon/DET design carries no boilers or steam plant - four General Motors 16-278A diesel-generator sets on two shafts (~6,000 shp, ~21 kt) - so the heavy steam-ship asbestos categories (boiler and steam-line lagging) do not apply; the era-standard application set for a 1943 diesel-electric escort is exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck coverings. The builder is documented at yard level: an Owens-Illinois industrial health survey of Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Kearny NJ (30 August - 2 September 1944) measured dust during cutting and fitting of asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation in confined spaces.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1943 (Port Newark yard); crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- Class/design and builder-yard inference only - no hull-level material schedule or survey located, and nothing establishes asbestos aboard this specific hull. The documented survey was performed at Federal's Kearny yard; this hull was built at the companion Port Newark yard (ev-02), so survey-to-hull relevance is by company practice inference, not site documentation. The yard dataset's Kaylo product entry covers 1948-58, after this hull's construction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-06
-
[8]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Control of Asbestos Exposure: Needs of Navy Shipyard Workers and Ship Crews' (1980) - product page [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page abstract (full text blocked to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use, with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - this hull's 1943 construction and 1943-45 USN service fall inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (this hull's USN service within the documented era)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and ship crews, WWII-1970s era
- Limitations
- Program-level framing only - the report's fieldwork yards were Navy shipyards, not this hull or its builder; it does not establish asbestos aboard DE-189. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; the product-page description was used, per Batch-01 precedent - full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep for 'USS Bronstein' / 'DE-189' (authenticated v4 via fleet helper) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search, type=o 'USS Bronstein'; cluster 2151044
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name opinion query '"USS Bronstein"' (type=o) returned 1 hit - a name collision, not qualifying (Bernert Towboat Co. v. USS CHANDLER (DDG 996), 666 F. Supp. 1454, D. Or. 1987 - an admiralty action against a different, non-asbestos-era Navy hull; 'Bronstein' matched opinion text, not this vessel). RECAP docket and hull-number queries remained blocked by the shared fleet pacing limit at session end - see search_ledger.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- litigation index as of 2026-09-28
- Population
- Unverified - no qualifying plaintiffs
- Limitations
- Partial sweep: the exact-name opinion query completed; RECAP (type=r) and 'DE-189' hull-number queries were repeatedly 429-throttled under the shared fleet budget and are logged as blocked in the search ledger, not as zero results. The single opinion hit is non-qualifying (name collision). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in the completed portion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-08
-
[10]Batch-4103 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar; builder production table; Armada Nacional chronology; uboat.net fate revisions; USS Slater museum; CourtListener sweep; NVR; NARA leads [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-bronstein-de189-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-189: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum-condition record (hull not extant), or qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The post-USN material history under Uruguayan custody (1952-1988, including a pre-1966 'major overhaul') is undocumented in public sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1988
- Population
- Construction trades 1943; USN crew 1943-45; Uruguayan crew and disposal workforce 1952-1988
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 diesel-electric escort is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials in the exhaust/electrical/gasket/deck-covering categories. Does not establish presence or absence aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bronstein-de189-09